LA Times Crossword 29 Dec 20, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Catherine Cetta
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Doubleheader

Themed answers each comprise two words that can be “HEADED” with “DOUBLE”:

  • 56A In 2020’s MLB season, each game of one was seven innings … and what each word of three long answers can have : DOUBLEHEADER
  • 20A City street spot you usually have to back into : PARKING SPACE (double parking & double space)
  • 33A Unfavorable impression : NEGATIVE TAKE (double negative & double take)
  • 42A Winter clock setting : STANDARD TIME (double standard & double time)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 5m 55s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Like new dollar bills : CRISP

The nation’s first president, George Washington, is on the US one-dollar bills produced today. When the original one-dollar bill was issued in 1863, it featured a portrait of Salmon P. Chase, President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury.

10 Last year’s frosh : SOPH

The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.

“Frosh” is a slang term for a college freshman. We call such a person a “fresher” back in Ireland …

14 Mediterranean mayonnaise : 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.

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.

15 Place for pews : NAVE

In large Christian churches, the nave is the main approach to the altar, and is where most of the congregation are seated.

A pew is a bench in a church, one usually with a high back. The original pews were raised and sometimes enclosed seats in the church used by women and important men or families. “Pew” comes from the Old French “puie” meaning “balcony, elevation”.

16 Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g. : TRIO

The supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) is made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. The band can grow to “CSNY” when the trio is joined by Neil Young. Fans have been known to call the act “C, S, N and sometimes Y”, a play on the expression that names all the vowels, “A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y”.

19 Singles : ONES

The nation’s first president, George Washington, is on the US one-dollar bills produced today. When the original one-dollar bill was issued in 1863, it featured a portrait of Salmon P. Chase, President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury.

23 TSA __Check : PRE

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operates its 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 “Annabel Lee” poet : POE

“Annabel Lee” was the last complete poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. The opening lines are:

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;

The closing lines are:

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

27 Result of a coup, perhaps : OUSTER

A coup d’état (often just “coup”) is the sudden overthrow of a government, and comes from the French for “stroke of state”. The Swiss-German word “putsch” is sometimes used instead of “coup”, with “Putsch” translating literally as “sudden blow”. We also use the abbreviated “coup” to mean “sudden, brilliant and successful act”.

28 Sea surrounding Santorini : AEGEAN

The Aegean Sea is that part of the Mediterranean that lies between Greece and Turkey. Within the Aegean Sea are found the Aegean Islands, a group that includes Crete and Rhodes.

The Cyclades are a group of islands in the Aegean Sea lying southeast of the Greek mainland. There are about 200 islands in the group, almost all of which are the peaks of a submerged mountain range. Included in the Cyclades are the islands of Ios, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini.

32 Silly starter? : ESS

The word “silly” starts with a letter S (ess).

36 HEATH Bar competitor : SKOR

Skor is a candy bar produced by Hershey’s. “Skor” is Swedish for “shoes”, and the candy bar’s wrapping features a crown that is identical to that found in the Swedish national emblem. What shoes have to do with candy, I don’t know …

The Heath bar is a Hershey product that was introduced in the 1930s by brothers Bayard and Everett Heath. The candy was promoted back then with the line “Heath for better health!”, a reference to the “healthy” ingredients of the best milk chocolate and almonds, creamery butter and pure sugar cane. Different times …

37 “Bel Canto” author Patchett : ANN

Ann Patchett is an author who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Patchett’s most famous work is probably her novel “Bel Canto”, published in 2001. In 2012, “Time” included her in the magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

38 Many an Omani : ARAB

Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman is a monarchy, and the official name of the state is the Sultanate of Oman. All of the country’s legislative, executive and judiciary power resides with the hereditary sultan.

42 Winter clock setting : STANDARD TIME

On the other side of the Atlantic, daylight saving time (DST) is known as “summer time”. The idea behind summer/daylight-savings is to move clocks forward an hour in spring (“spring forward”), and backwards in the fall (“fall back”) so that afternoons have more daylight. Here in the US, DST starts on the second Sunday of March, and ends on the first Sunday of November.

47 UFO operators : ETS

One might speculate that an unidentified flying object (UFO) is flown by an extraterrestrial (ET).

50 Iowa college town : AMES

The Iowa city of Ames was founded as a stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad in 1864. It was named for US Congressman Oakes Ames from the state of Massachusetts in honor of the role that Ames played in the building of the transcontinental railroad.

Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) is located in Ames, Iowa. Among many other notable milestones, ISU created the country’s first school of veterinary medicine, in 1879. The sports teams of ISU are known as the Cyclones.

54 Coll. entrance exam : SAT

Today, the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the abbreviation “SAT”.

55 Business card abbr. : EXT

Extension (ext.)

56 In 2020’s MLB season, each game of one was seven innings … and what each word of three long answers can have : DOUBLEHEADER

In baseball, a doubleheader is a pair of baseball games played on the same day between the same teams.

60 James of jazz : ETTA

“Etta James” was the stage name of celebrated blues and soul singer Jamesetta Hawkins. James’ most famous recording was her 1960 hit “At Last”, which made it into the pop charts. James performed “At Last” at the age of 71 in 2009 on the reality show “Dancing with the Stars”, which was to be her final television appearance. She passed away in 2012.

62 Banana cluster : BUNCH

The banana is actually a berry, botanically speaking. And, bananas don’t really grow on trees. The “trunk” of the banana plant is in fact a pseudostem. The pseudostem is a false stem comprising rolled bases of leaves, and it can grow to 2 or 3 meters tall.

67 Poet Pound : EZRA

Ezra Pound was an American poet who spent much of his life wandering the world, and spending years in London, Paris, and Italy. In Italy, Pound’s work and sympathies for Mussolini’s regime led to his arrest at the end of the war. His major work was the epic, albeit incomplete, “The Cantos”. This epic poem is divided into 120 sections, each known as a canto.

68 Vowel-rich farewell : ADIEU

“Adieu” is French for “goodbye, farewell”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God”. The plural of “adieu” is “adieux”.

69 Surrealist Magritte : RENE

Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work may be “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in a great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

70 Burpee purchase : SEED

The Burpee Seeds company was formed in 1876 by Washington Atlee Burpee.

Down

2 River inlet : RIA

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

3 Na+ or Cl- : ION

Sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt) is an ionic compound. It comprises a crystal lattice made up of large chloride (Cl-) ions in a cubic structure, with smaller sodium (Na+) ions in between the chlorides.

4 Word with happy or dash : SLAP-

Someone described as slaphappy is exhibiting extremely silly behavior. The term “slaphappy” first appeared in the 1930s, when it meant “punch-drunk”.

6 Asp or adder : SNAKE

The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in ancient Egypt.

The adder, a snake in the viper family, is the only venomous snake found on the island of Great Britain. Adders are also found in Norway and Sweden, north of the Arctic Circle.

7 Cab : TAXI

We call cabs “taxis”, a word derived from “taximeter cabs” that were introduced in London in 1907. A taximeter was an automated meter designed to record distance travelled and fare to be charged. The term “taximeter” evolved from “taxameter”, with “taxa” being Latin for “tax, charge”.

8 Like every other integer : EVEN

An integer is a number that does not include a fraction. The word “integer” is Latin for “whole”.

9 Vine-covered walkway : PERGOLA

A pergola looks somewhat like a gazebo in structure, but it is an open walkway with vines trained up the sides and over the top. “Pergola” ultimately derives from the Latin “pergula”, the word for a covered eave.

13 Uncouth types, in Canadian slang : HOSERS

The derogatory word “hoser”, meaning “foolish or uncultivated person”, is apparently attributed to Canadians. That said, I just read that the term is in fact rarely used north of the border.

21 Rice-A-__ : RONI

Rice-A-Roni was introduced in 1958 by the Golden Grain Macaroni Company of San Francisco. The company was run by an Italian immigrant and his four sons. The wife of one of the sons created a pilaf dish for the family diner they owned. It was a big hit, so her brother-in-law created a commercial version by blending dry chicken soup mix with rice and macaroni. Sounds like “a San Francisco treat” to me …

25 Thick & Fluffy waffle brand : EGGO

Eggo is a line of frozen waffles and related products made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced “Froffles”, the original name chosen by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.

31 Sicilian smoker : ETNA

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.

35 Grub : EATS

The larvae of stag beetles are commonly known as grubs, and the pupa known as the chrysalis. “Grub” is also slang for “food”. The word “grub” has been used in this sense since way back in the 1600s, and is possibly derived from birds eating grubs.

39 Baptism, for one : RITE

Baptism is a rite, in many Christian traditions, in which a candidate is admitted to the Church. The ceremony usually uses water as a sign of purification. Water may be poured on the head, or the candidate may be totally immersed.

40 Plastic choice, briefly : AMEX

“Amex” is short for “American Express”, the name of the financial services company that is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler’s check businesses. The company name is indicative of its original business. American Express was founded in 1850 in Buffalo, New York as an express mail service.

41 Ernie’s Muppet pal : BERT

The muppet character named Bert usually plays the straight man to his partner character Ernie. Bert has a unibrow, while Ernie has no brows at all.

43 Like unlikely tales : TALL

In centuries past, “tall talk” was important and grand discourse, and the opposite of “small talk”. Somehow, this use of the adjective “tall” came to be used in the phrases “tall tale” and “tall story”, which both describe an account that is untrue and not to be believed.

44 Current units : AMPERES

The unit of electric current is the ampere, which is abbreviated correctly to “A” rather than “amp”. It is named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère, one of the main scientists responsible for the discovery of electromagnetism.

45 Enjoy a novel : READ

Our word “novel”, used for a lengthy work of fiction, comes from the Latin “novella” meaning “new things”.

46 Baked treat that sounds like a place to meet : DATE BAR

Date palms can be either male or female. Only the female tree bears fruit (called “dates”).

48 Play the flute : TOOTLE

A flute is a woodwind instrument that doesn’t have a reed. Instead, sound is produced by blowing air across an opening. A flute player is often referred to as a flautist (sometimes “flutist”). Flutes have been around a long, long time. Primitive flutes found in modern-day Germany date back 43,000 to 35,000 years, which makes the flute the oldest known musical instrument.

53 Online money-back offer : E-BATE

I guess an “ebate” is an online “rebate”.

54 Dinner course : SALAD

Our word “salad” comes from the Latin “salare” meaning “to salt”. The Latin “herba salata” translates as “salted vegetables”, which I guess could be a salad …

58 The Emerald Isle : EIRE

Ireland is often referred to as “the Emerald Isle” (and described as “green”) because of all that green grass that grows due to the seemingly non-stop rain.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Like new dollar bills : CRISP
6 Instruction unit : STEP
10 Last year’s frosh : SOPH
14 Mediterranean mayonnaise : AIOLI
15 Place for pews : NAVE
16 Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g. : TRIO
17 Raced toward : RAN AT
18 One cutting staff : AXER
19 Singles : ONES
20 City street spot you usually have to back into : PARKING SPACE
23 TSA __Check : PRE
26 “Annabel Lee” poet : POE
27 Result of a coup, perhaps : OUSTER
28 Sea surrounding Santorini : AEGEAN
30 Relate, as a story : TELL
32 Silly starter? : ESS
33 Unfavorable impression : NEGATIVE TAKE
36 HEATH Bar competitor : SKOR
37 “Bel Canto” author Patchett : ANN
38 Many an Omani : ARAB
42 Winter clock setting : STANDARD TIME
47 UFO operators : ETS
50 Iowa college town : AMES
51 Egg-coloring holiday : EASTER
52 Useless : NO HELP
54 Coll. entrance exam : SAT
55 Business card abbr. : EXT
56 In 2020’s MLB season, each game of one was seven innings … and what each word of three long answers can have : DOUBLEHEADER
60 James of jazz : ETTA
61 See-the-sights travel option : RAIL
62 Banana cluster : BUNCH
66 Came down : ALIT
67 Poet Pound : EZRA
68 Vowel-rich farewell : ADIEU
69 Surrealist Magritte : RENE
70 Burpee purchase : SEED
71 Transplant to a new container : REPOT

Down

1 See-the-sights travel option : CAR
2 River inlet : RIA
3 Na+ or Cl- : ION
4 Word with happy or dash : SLAP-
5 Rain-on-the-roof sound : PIT-A-PAT
6 Asp or adder : SNAKE
7 Cab : TAXI
8 Like every other integer : EVEN
9 Vine-covered walkway : PERGOLA
10 Dots on a transit map : STOPS
11 Highly decorative : ORNATE
12 Concert choices : PIECES
13 Uncouth types, in Canadian slang : HOSERS
21 Rice-A-__ : RONI
22 Pout : SULK
23 Thumbs-down reviews : PANS
24 Really smell : REEK
25 Thick & Fluffy waffle brand : EGGO
29 All __: listening : EARS
30 Takes care of : TENDS
31 Sicilian smoker : ETNA
34 Wind indicator : VANE
35 Grub : EATS
39 Baptism, for one : RITE
40 Plastic choice, briefly : AMEX
41 Ernie’s Muppet pal : BERT
43 Like unlikely tales : TALL
44 Current units : AMPERES
45 Enjoy a novel : READ
46 Baked treat that sounds like a place to meet : DATE BAR
47 Make precious : ENDEAR
48 Play the flute : TOOTLE
49 Locked up : SHUT IN
53 Online money-back offer : E-BATE
54 Dinner course : SALAD
57 Thin fog : HAZE
58 The Emerald Isle : EIRE
59 Impolite : RUDE
63 Puppy’s bite : NIP
64 Head of the corp. : CEO
65 Shack : HUT