LA Times Crossword 9 Mar 20, Monday

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Constructed by: Fred Piscop
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Sewed Up

Themed answers each end with something that is SEWED UP:

  • 40A Fixed, like the ends of the answers to starred clues : SEWED UP
  • 17A *Fruity ice cream treat : BANANA SPLIT
  • 63A *Knock one out of the park : HIT A HOME RUN
  • 11D *Place for rural anglers : FISHING HOLE
  • 25D *Won 10 in a row, say : WENT ON A TEAR

Bill’s time: 5m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Seminary book : BIBLE

Originally, a seminary was where plants were raised from seeds, as “semen” is the Latin for “seed”. The first schools labeled as seminaries were established in the late 1500s. Those first schools were more likely to be academies for young ladies back then, rather than for trainee priests.

6 E-cigarette output : VAPOR

An electronic cigarette (also called an “e-cigarette”) is a battery-powered device that resembles a real cigarette. The e-cigarette vaporizes a solution that contains nicotine, forming a vapor that resembles smoke. The vapor is inhaled in a process called “vaping”, delivering nicotine into the body. The assumption is that an e-cigarette is healthier than a regular cigarette as the inhaled vapor is less harmful than inhaled smoke. But, that may not be so …

11 Media-monitoring org. : FCC

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been around since 1934, when it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

15 How the cheese stands, in a kids’ song : ALONE

“The Farmer in the Dell” is a nursery rhyme and singing game that probably originated in Germany.

The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell

17 *Fruity ice cream treat : BANANA SPLIT

The banana split was created in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1904. This particular sundae was the idea of David Stickler, a young apprentice pharmacist at the Tassel Pharmacy’s soda fountain.

23 Chad or Rob of movies : LOWE

Actor Chad Lowe is the younger brother of fellow actor Rob Lowe. Chad was married for almost ten years to another actor, Hilary Swank.

33 Smart set member : MENSAN

If you ever learned Latin, “mensa” was probably taught to you in lesson one as it’s the word commonly used as an example of a first declension noun. Mensa means “table”. The Mensa organization, for folks with high IQs, was set up in Oxford, England back in 1946. To become a member, you have to have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population.

35 “Great Leap Forward” Chinese leader : MAO

The Great Leap Forward was a government-led campaign to transition China from an agrarian society to a modern communist society in the late fifties and early sixties. Started by Mao Zedong in 1958, the movement was an economic and social disaster. Mao replaced the Great Leap Forward with the Cultural Revolution in 1966.

39 Upside-down sleeper : BAT

Bats are the only mammals that are capable of sustained flight.

43 Put a jinx on : HEX

“Hexen” is a German word meaning “to practice witchcraft”. The use of the word “hex” in English started with the Pennsylvania Dutch in the early 1800s.

A jinx is a charm or a spell, and the word “jinx” comes from an older word “jyng” from the 17th-century. A “jyng” was another word for the wryneck, a type of bird much used in witchcraft.

47 House speaker Nancy : PELOSI

Nancy Pelosi first became Speaker of the House in 2007, and was the 60th person to hold that position. Ms. Pelosi represents a district not far from here, which covers most of San Francisco. She was the first Californian, the first Italian-American and the first woman to be Speaker of the House. As Speaker of the House is second-in-line to the presidency, after the Vice President, Nancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking female politician in US history.

52 Shops with slicers : DELIS

The word “delicatessen” (or “deli” for short) came into English from the German “Delikatessen”. The Germans borrowed the word from French, in which language “délicatesse” means “delicious things (to eat)”. The term’s ultimate root is “delicatus”, the Latin for “giving pleasure, delightful”.

53 Gondolier, e.g. : BOATER

The word “gondola” was originally limited to the famous boats that travel along the canals of Venice. When man started to fly through the air in hot air balloons, “gondola” was used for the basket in which the passenger(s) traveled. By extension, the structure carrying passengers and crew under an airship is also called a gondola, as are the cars suspended from a cable at a ski resort.

55 Deviate from a course, at sea : YAW

The word “yaw” means to deviate from the line of a course and is used mainly at sea and in the air. “Yaw” is derived from the Old Norse word “jaege” which means “to drive, chase”. As such, “yaw” is etymologically related to our word “yacht”.

57 MASH shelter : TENT

The first Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) was deployed in August 1945. MASH units really came into the public consciousness after publication of the 1969 Richard Hooker novel “MASH”, which spawned the hit film and TV series that were both titled “M*A*S*H”.

69 Chopin piece : ETUDE

An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer who spent most of his life in France. He was most famous for his piano works in the Romantic style. Chopin was a sickly man and died quite young, at 39. For many of his final years he had a celebrated and tempestuous relationship with the French author George Sand (the nom de plume of the Baroness Dudevant). Those years with Sand may have been turbulent, but they were very productive in terms of musical composition.

70 Marble mineral : AGATE

A playing marble made from agate is called just that, an agate. Steelies on the other hand, are made from solid steel.

71 Write “mispell,” say : ERR

Speaking as someone who misspells all the time, I find it somewhat amusing that one of the more common words to misspell is “misspell” (written incorrectly as “mispell”).

72 “Jurassic Park” critters, briefly : DINOS

“Jurassic Park” is a 1990 novel by Michael Crichton that was adapted into a hugely successful movie by Steven Spielberg in 1993. One of the main premises of the novel is that dinosaur DNA could be harvested from mosquitoes trapped in amber (fossilized tree resin), the DNA coming from the dinosaur blood consumed by the mosquitoes. The dinosaur DNA is then sequenced and used to create clones of the original beasts. Apparently, that’s a clever idea, but not very practical …

Down

1 Highchair wear : BIB

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

2 Wash. neighbor : IDA

Idaho borders six states, and one Canadian province:

  • Montana
  • Wyoming
  • Nevada
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Oregon
  • British Columbia, Canada

3 TSA checkpoint container : BIN

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

4 Shoes sans laces : LOAFERS

The loafer slip-on shoe dates back to 1939. “Loafer” was originally a brand name introduced by Fortnum and Mason’s store in London. The derivative term “penny loafer” arose in the late fifties or early sixties, although the exact etymology seems unclear.

5 Sicilian volcano : 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”.

6 Seven Sisters college : VASSAR

Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York is now a coeducational school, after over a century of operating as a women’s college since its founding in 1861. The school was officially declared co-ed in 1969, although it had accepted a handful of male students on the GI Bill after WWII.

The Seven Sisters are a group of (traditionally women’s) colleges in the northeast of the country that were founded to parallel the all-male (as they were then) Ivy League colleges. The seven are:

  • Mount Holyoke
  • Vassar
  • Wellesley
  • Smith
  • Radcliffe
  • Bryn Mawr
  • Barnard

7 Tyrolean peak : ALP

The Austrian state of Tyrol (“Tirol” in German) has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, especially if you love the mountains. It is in the very west of the country, just south of Bavaria in Germany. The capital city is the famous Innsbruck.

8 C-SPAN figures, informally : POLS

Politician (pol)

C-SPAN is a privately-funded, nonprofit cable channel that broadcasts continuous coverage of government proceedings.

9 French crockful with a cheesy crust : ONION SOUP

To cook “au gratin” is to prepare something in a shallow dish with a crust of bread or cheese on top. In America we tend to think mainly of potatoes prepared this way, but the technique can be used for many different dishes. What we call French onion soup, a soup with some bread and cheese baked on top, is called “gratinée” in France.

12 Crossword hints : CLUES

Arthur Wynne is generally credited with the invention of what we now known as a crossword puzzle. Wynne was born in Liverpool, England and emigrated to the US when he was 19-years-old. He worked as a journalist and was living in Cedar Grove, New Jersey in 1913 when he introduced a “Word-Cross Puzzle” in his page of puzzles written for the “New York World”. The first book of crossword puzzles was published by Shuster & Shuster, in 1924. The collection of puzzles was a huge hit, and crosswords were elevated to the level of “a craze” in 1924 and 1925.

18 “Life of Pi” director Lee : ANG

Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

The 2012 movie “Life of Pi” is based on a 2001 novel of the same name by Yann Martel. The “Pi” in the title is an Indian boy named Pi Patel who finds himself adrift for 227 days in a small boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

24 Shaq of NBA fame : O’NEAL

Retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal now appears regularly as an analyst on the NBA TV show “Inside the NBA”. Shaq has quite a career in the entertainment world. His first rap album, called “Shaq Diesel”, went platinum. He also starred in two of his own reality shows: “Shaq’s Big Challenge” and “Shaq Vs.”

30 Many coll. lab instructors : TAS

Teaching assistant (TA)

34 Egyptian queen in Tut’s time : NEFERTITI

Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti is relatively well-known in modern times largely due to a 3,300-year-old limestone bust that depicts her rather beautiful features. The painted bust was discovered by archaeologists in the sculptor’s workshop in 1912, and is on display in the Neues Museum in Berlin.

37 Amber, for one : RESIN

Amber’s technical name is “resinite”, reflecting its composition and formation. Amber starts out life as soft sticky tree resin but then under high temperature and pressure from overlying layers of soil, it fossilizes. The sticky resin can trap organisms or other plant matter, and this material can sometimes remain virtually intact inside the amber fossil giving us a unique gift from the past.

42 __ XING: crosswalk sign : PED

Pedestrian crossing (Ped Xing)

45 Restrain, as one’s breath : BATE

To bate is to restrain, as in “with bated breath” meaning “with restrained breath”. “Bate” can also mean “lessen”, and is a shortening of “abate”.

56 Grinch victim : WHO

The Whos live in Whoville in Dr. Seuss’ children’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

59 Zap with a Taser : STUN

Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon partly named its product as a homage to the novel. The acronym “TASER” stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle”.

61 Somali-born model : IMAN

Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid is a supermodel from Somalia who goes simply by the name “Iman” these days. “Iman” is an Arabic word for “faith”. Iman is a smart cookie. Imam has a degree in Political Science and is fluent in five languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, French and English. Iman was married to English rock star David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016.

66 Rugged vehicle, for short : UTE

A utility vehicle is often called a “ute” for short. Nowadays one mainly hears about sport-utes and crossover-utes.

67 “Game of Thrones” patriarch Stark : NED

Ned Stark is the protagonist in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novel “A Game of Thrones”, although his character doesn’t exactly come out on top by the end of the story. Stark is played by actor Sean Bean in the HBO television adaptation of the novel.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Seminary book : BIBLE
6 E-cigarette output : VAPOR
11 Media-monitoring org. : FCC
14 __-proof: easy to operate : IDIOT
15 How the cheese stands, in a kids’ song : ALONE
16 “__ be in touch!” : I’LL
17 *Fruity ice cream treat : BANANA SPLIT
19 Be litigious : SUE
20 Grandstand group : FANS
21 Cough syrup, e.g. : SOOTHER
23 Chad or Rob of movies : LOWE
26 Practical joke : GAG
28 Lacking a downside : NO RISK
29 Immobile : INERT
31 Chafing result : RAW SKIN
33 Smart set member : MENSAN
35 “Great Leap Forward” Chinese leader : MAO
36 Storybook fiend : OGRE
39 Upside-down sleeper : BAT
40 Fixed, like the ends of the answers to starred clues : SEWED UP
43 Put a jinx on : HEX
44 Messy roomie : SLOB
46 Nourished : FED
47 House speaker Nancy : PELOSI
49 Luggage tie-on : NAME TAG
52 Shops with slicers : DELIS
53 Gondolier, e.g. : BOATER
55 Deviate from a course, at sea : YAW
57 MASH shelter : TENT
58 Declares to be true : ATTESTS
60 Carpentry wedge : SHIM
62 Nautical pronoun : SHE
63 *Knock one out of the park : HIT A HOME RUN
68 Afternoon social : TEA
69 Chopin piece : ETUDE
70 Marble mineral : AGATE
71 Write “mispell,” say : ERR
72 “Jurassic Park” critters, briefly : DINOS
73 Well-known : NOTED

Down

1 Highchair wear : BIB
2 Wash. neighbor : IDA
3 TSA checkpoint container : BIN
4 Shoes sans laces : LOAFERS
5 Sicilian volcano : ETNA
6 Seven Sisters college : VASSAR
7 Tyrolean peak : ALP
8 C-SPAN figures, informally : POLS
9 French crockful with a cheesy crust : ONION SOUP
10 Captured back : RETOOK
11 *Place for rural anglers : FISHING HOLE
12 Crossword hints : CLUES
13 Checkout worker : CLERK
18 “Life of Pi” director Lee : ANG
22 Common jazz combo : TRIO
23 Tree branches : LIMBS
24 Shaq of NBA fame : O’NEAL
25 *Won 10 in a row, say : WENT ON A TEAR
27 2/2/20, for Super Bowl LIV : GAME DAY
30 Many coll. lab instructors : TAS
32 Roll of bills : WAD
34 Egyptian queen in Tut’s time : NEFERTITI
37 Amber, for one : RESIN
38 Be : EXIST
41 Like fresh nail polish : WET
42 __ XING: crosswalk sign : PED
45 Restrain, as one’s breath : BATE
48 Captive’s plea : LET ME GO!
50 Worked together perfectly : MESHED
51 Serious cuts : GASHES
53 Keep moist, as turkey : BASTE
54 [none of the above] : [OTHER]
56 Grinch victim : WHO
59 Zap with a Taser : STUN
61 Somali-born model : IMAN
64 Pointless bother : ADO
65 Squeal on the mob : RAT
66 Rugged vehicle, for short : UTE
67 “Game of Thrones” patriarch Stark : NED