LA Times Crossword 27 Oct 20, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Bury the Lede

Themed answers each include “LEDE” as a hidden word:

  • 59A Postpone an article’s essential points … and a hint to 17-, 27- and 44-Across : BURY THE LEDE
  • 17A Breakfast dish that sounds spoiled? : CODDLED EGGS
  • 27A Snack cake brand named for a four-year-old : LITTLE DEBBIE
  • 44A Two-level bus : DOUBLE-DECKER

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

Bill’s time: 5m 08s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Analyze grammatically : PARSE

The verb “to parse” means “to state the parts of speech in a sentence”. “Parse” comes from the Latin word “pars” meaning “part”.

6 Comic Silverman : SARAH

Sarah Silverman is a comedian, and also a singer and actress. Her material is very “edgy”, as she takes on social taboos such as racism, sexism and religion. She had a celebrity boyfriend for five years as she started dating Jimmy Kimmel in 2002, soon after Kimmel’s divorce from his first wife.

14 At full speed : AMAIN

“Amain” is an old term meaning “at great speed” or “of great strength”.

15 Actress De La Garza : ALANA

Alana De La Garza is an actress from Columbus, Ohio. De La Garza is perhaps best known for her recurring role as Connie Rubirosa on television’s “Law & Order”.

16 “Buffy” airer after The WB : UPN

The United Paramount Network (UPN) was a TV channel that launched in 1995, and shut down in 2006. Some of UPN’s programming was moved to the CW channel at the time of UPN’s demise.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is a TV series that originally aired from 1997 to 2003. “Buffy …” was incredibly successful, especially given that it wasn’t aired on one of the big four networks. The show was created by Joss Whedon and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar in the title role.

17 Breakfast dish that sounds spoiled? : CODDLED EGGS

The word “coddle” means to boil gently, as in “coddle an egg”. “Coddle” was first used to mean “treat tenderly” by Jane Austen. Austen introduced the extended usage in her masterpiece “Emma”.

19 Part of LGBTQ : GAY

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA)

20 Ashtabula’s lake : ERIE

Ashtabula is a city in Ohio that is located on the Ashtabula River, right where it flows into Lake Erie. The name “Ashtabula” comes from the Lenape word “ashtepihəle” that translates as “always enough fish to be shared around”.

22 Master, in Swahili : BWANA

“Bwana” is a Swahili word meaning “important person” or “leader of a safari”.

Swahili is one of the many Bantu languages spoken in Africa. There are hundreds of Bantu languages, with most being spoken in central, east and southern Africa. The most commonly spoken Bantu language is Swahili, with Zulu coming in second.

27 Snack cake brand named for a four-year-old : LITTLE DEBBIE

The Little Debbie brand of dessert snacks was introduced in the 1960s by O.D. and Ruth McKee. The couple named their product after their 4-year-old grandchild Debbie.

37 Immigrants’ subj. : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

39 Helen who sang “I Am Woman” : REDDY

The successful singer Helen Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia. In 1966, Reddy won a talent contest and earned herself a trip to New York City for an audition. The 25-year-old single mother decided to stay in the US, and a few years later was able to launch a successful singing career. Her hit song “I Am Woman”, released in 1972, was the first recording by an Australian artist to reach #1 in the US charts.

41 Post-apartheid ruling party: Abbr. : ANC

The African National Congress (ANC) started out as the South African Native National Congress in 1912 with the goal of improving the lot of black South Africans. After years of turmoil, the ANC came to power in the first open election in 1964.

Apartheid was the system of racial segregation used in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. “Apartheid” is an Afrikaans word meaning “apart-hood, the state of being apart”.

42 With “en,” hot, in sports slang : … FUEGO

A sports player who is doing really well might be said to be “on fire”. Sometimes “on fire” is translated into Spanish and the person is said to be “en fuego”.

44 Two-level bus : DOUBLE-DECKER

The red double-decker bus has become a national symbol of England, and is particularly associated with the London transport system. I am proud to say that my godfather was a London bus driver for many years.

47 __ center: exact middle : DEAD

The dead center is the exact middle of something. “Dead center” was coined in the 1830s when it was used in reference to rotating machinery, such as a lathe. The “dead” center was the point at the middle, the point that did not move, was “dead”.

54 Poker Flat chronicler Harte : BRET

“The Outcasts of Poker Flat” is a short story by Bret Harte that was first published in 1869. Harte was a storyteller noted for his tales of the American West, even though he himself was from back East, born in Albany, New York.

57 __-dieu: kneeler : PRIE

“Prie-dieu” literally means “pray (to) God” in French. A prie-dieu is basically a padded kneeler, with an armrest in front and a shelf on which one placed books of prayer.

58 Antipollution org. : EPA

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

59 Postpone an article’s essential points … and a hint to 17-, 27- and 44-Across : BURY THE LEDE

The opening paragraph in any work of literature is often just called “the lead”. In the world of journalism, this is usually referred to as “the lede”. The derivative phrase “bury the lede” means to fail to stress the most important aspect of a story.

63 Correct, as text : EMEND

The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.

65 __ Victor: record label : RCA

The Victrola was a phonograph in which the turntable and horn could be hidden away in a wooden cabinet. The “Victrola” name was used as the phonograph was manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company. The Victor Talking Machine Company was sold to RCA, leading to the creation of RCA Victor.

67 Mike who voiced Shrek : MYERS

Mike Myers does a great British accent, witness his performance in the madcap “Austin Powers” movies. He has an advantage though, as both his parents are British, and live in Ontario, Canada.

In the 2001 animated feature “Shrek”, the title character is voiced by Mike Myers. Eddie Murphy voices Shrek’s sidekick Donkey, and Princess Fiona is voiced by Cameron Diaz.

Down

3 Pie cuts, geometrically : RADII

“Radius” (plural “radii”) is a Latin word, as one might expect, a word meaning “spoke of a wheel”. Makes sense, huh?

5 Big picture?: Abbr. : ENL

Enlargement (enl.)

6 Anti-DWI gp. : SADD

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) was founded in Massachusetts in 1981. SADD’s aim is to prevent road traffic accidents by urging students to avoid potentially destructive decisions (such as driving under the influence of alcohol).

7 On the safer side, at sea : ALEE

Alee is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing aweather.

9 Oscar winner 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”.

11 Sucrose-rich root veggie : SUGAR BEET

The biggest producer of sugar beets in the world is Russia, with France and the US in second and third place.

The sugar we consume as “table sugar” is mainly sucrose that is extracted from sugarcane and sugar beet. We also consume lactose, naturally occurring in milk, and fructose, naturally occurring in fruit. But most of the sugar we eat or drink tends to be prepared commercially, the most famous being high-fructose corn syrup, which is glucose that is industrially processed into a glucose/fructose mix. Don’t get me started on the politics of food …

13 Irish New Ager : ENYA

Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

18 Steinbeck’s “__ of Eden” : EAST

John Steinbeck considered “East of Eden” his magnum opus. Most of the storyline takes place near Salinas, just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Two of the characters in the story are brothers Cal and Aron Trask, representative of the biblical Cain and Abel.

23 World Wide __ : WEB

In essence, the World Wide Web (WWW) is a vast collection of documents that is accessible using the Internet, with each document containing hyperlinks which point to other documents in the collection. So the “Web” is different from the Internet, although the terms are often used interchangeably. The Web is a collection of documents, and the Internet is a global network of computers on which the documents reside. The Web was effectively the invention of British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee. The key to Berner-Lee’s invention was bringing together two technologies that already existed: hypertext and the Internet. I, for one, am very grateful …

25 Sch. near Harvard : MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was founded in 1861 and first offered classes in 1865, in the Mercantile building in Boston. Today’s magnificent campus on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge opened in 1916.

26 Time for cake with candles, informally : B-DAY

Birthday (b-day)

30 MD meeting an ambulance : ER DOC

Medical doctors (MDs) might be found in an operating room (OR) or emergency room (ER).

31 “Cast Away” setting : ISLE

“Cast Away” is a very entertaining adventure film released in 2000 starring Tom Hanks as a castaway on a South Pacific island. The Hanks character ends up on the island after a FedEx plane crashes, leaving him marooned there for four years before he manages to escape on a raft. The film had to be filmed in two sessions. For the first session, Hanks gained 50 pounds to make himself look pudgy for the early scenes. The crew had to wait a whole year for Hanks to lose the weight so that they could film the “cast away” scenes.

40 2006 film about crosswords : WORDPLAY

“Wordplay” is a 2006 documentary film that is a must-see for crossword fans. Star of the film is New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz, with appearances by celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Jon Stewart and Ken Burns. Much of the movie is set at the 2005 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT).

45 Buzzing flier : BEE

Bumblebees aren’t very aggressive, but they can sting if they deem it necessary. Unlike honey bees, bumblebees survive the stinging action as their stinger has no barb. There are a few misconceptions about bumblebees. One is that a bumblebee should be incapable of flight based on the laws of aerodynamics, but this isn’t true. Another misconception is that the bee’s buzzing sound is caused by the beating of its wings. In fact, the sound comes from the vibration of its flight muscles. The bee can decouple those muscles from its wings, and so can make a buzzing sound without the wings moving at all.

46 Friends and neighbors : KITH

The word “kith” describes friends and acquaintances, and is used in the phrase “kith and kin” meaning “friends and family”. “Kith” comes from an Old English word meaning “native country, home”, as the expression “kith and kin” was used originally to mean “country and kinsmen”.

49 “Flashdance…What a Feeling” singer Cara : IRENE

Irene Cara co-wrote and sang the Oscar-winning song “Flashdance…What a Feeling” from the 1983 movie “Flashdance”. Cara also sang the title song for the 1980 movie “Fame”, and indeed played the lead role of student Coco Hernandez.

50 Down-yielding duck : EIDER

Eiders are large sea ducks. Their down feathers are used to fill pillows and quilts, giving the name to the quilt called an “eiderdown”.

52 Den denizen : BEAR

Nowadays we use “denizen” to mean simply “resident”, but historically a denizen was an immigrant to whom certain rights had been granted, somewhat like today’s resident alien.

53 “Beowulf,” e.g. : EPIC

“Beowulf” is an old epic poem from England, although the story is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf fights a battle, defending the Danish King Hrothgar from the ferocious outcast Grendel. Hrothgar had built a great hall for his people in which they could celebrate; singing, dancing and drinking lots of mead. Grendel was angered by the carousing and attacked the hall, devouring many of the incumbent warriors as they slept. A bit of an extreme reaction to noisy neighbors I’d say …

54 Belgian composer Jacques : BREL

Jacques Brel was a songwriter from Belgium whose songs were most popular in France, although English translations of his works became hits for artists all around the world. One of the more famous English translations was for the song “Season in the Sun”, a big hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks.

55 Hall of Famer Sandberg : RYNE

Ryne “Ryno” Sandberg is a former second baseman who played most of his career for the Chicago Cubs. Sandberg holds the major league fielding percentage record at second base.

56 Approx. takeoff hours : ETDS

Estimated time of departure (ETD)

60 Actress Thurman : UMA

Robert Thurman was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and called his daughter “Uma” as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name “Dbuma”. Uma’s big break in the movies came with her starring role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit “Pulp Fiction”. My favorite Uma Thurman film is the wonderful 1996 romantic comedy “The Truth About Cats and Dogs”.

61 “Slippery” tree : ELM

The slippery elm is a species of elm native to North America that is also known as the Red Elm. The inner bark of the slippery elm can be used in a medicinal tea. Elm bark tea is said to ease a sore throat or irritated stomach.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Analyze grammatically : PARSE
6 Comic Silverman : SARAH
11 Atlanta-to-Miami dir. : SSE
14 At full speed : AMAIN
15 Actress De La Garza : ALANA
16 “Buffy” airer after The WB : UPN
17 Breakfast dish that sounds spoiled? : CODDLED EGGS
19 Part of LGBTQ : GAY
20 Ashtabula’s lake : ERIE
21 Fruity drinks : ADES
22 Master, in Swahili : BWANA
24 Earthquakes : SEISMS
26 Cold one at a bar : BEER
27 Snack cake brand named for a four-year-old : LITTLE DEBBIE
33 Split up : END IT
36 Aired again : RERAN
37 Immigrants’ subj. : ESL
38 Gunk : GOOP
39 Helen who sang “I Am Woman” : REDDY
40 In good health : WELL
41 Post-apartheid ruling party: Abbr. : ANC
42 With “en,” hot, in sports slang : … FUEGO
43 Spoils, with “on” : DOTES …
44 Two-level bus : DOUBLE-DECKER
47 __ center: exact middle : DEAD
48 Unaffiliated film studios : INDIES
52 Artist’s flat hat : BERET
54 Poker Flat chronicler Harte : BRET
57 __-dieu: kneeler : PRIE
58 Antipollution org. : EPA
59 Postpone an article’s essential points … and a hint to 17-, 27- and 44-Across : BURY THE LEDE
62 Ready-fire link : AIM
63 Correct, as text : EMEND
64 Like Olympic pools : LANED
65 __ Victor: record label : RCA
66 Broad valleys : DALES
67 Mike who voiced Shrek : MYERS

Down

1 Treasure map word : PACES
2 Love, in Rome : AMORE
3 Pie cuts, geometrically : RADII
4 Lateral skid : SIDESLIP
5 Big picture?: Abbr. : ENL
6 Anti-DWI gp. : SADD
7 On the safer side, at sea : ALEE
8 Cleaning cloths : RAGS
9 Oscar winner Lee : ANG
10 Washed-up star : HAS-BEEN
11 Sucrose-rich root veggie : SUGAR BEET
12 Bridge : SPAN
13 Irish New Ager : ENYA
18 Steinbeck’s “__ of Eden” : EAST
23 World Wide __ : WEB
25 Sch. near Harvard : MIT
26 Time for cake with candles, informally : B-DAY
28 Cornered on a limb : TREED
29 Flowerpot spot : LEDGE
30 MD meeting an ambulance : ER DOC
31 “Cast Away” setting : ISLE
32 Building additions : ELLS
33 “Good grief!” : EGAD!
34 It’s forbidden : NO-NO
35 Semifictional film genre : DOCUDRAMA
39 Felt bad about : RUED
40 2006 film about crosswords : WORDPLAY
42 Open-bodied truck : FLATBED
43 Animal house : DEN
45 Buzzing flier : BEE
46 Friends and neighbors : KITH
49 “Flashdance…What a Feeling” singer Cara : IRENE
50 Down-yielding duck : EIDER
51 Plants-to-be : SEEDS
52 Den denizen : BEAR
53 “Beowulf,” e.g. : EPIC
54 Belgian composer Jacques : BREL
55 Hall of Famer Sandberg : RYNE
56 Approx. takeoff hours : ETDS
60 Actress Thurman : UMA
61 “Slippery” tree : ELM