LA Times Crossword 1 Jul 22, Friday

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Constructed by: Doug Peterson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: No Laughing Matter

Themed answers are common phrases with “HA” removed:

  • 40A Serious business, and a hint to four answers in this puzzle : NO LAUGHING MATTER
  • 18A Nana who deciphers coded messages? : GRAM CRACKER (from “Graham cracker”)
  • 24A Skirmish between rival hives? : BATTLE OF STINGS (from “Battle of Hastings”)
  • 52A Horses now tame enough to ride? : CREATURES OF BIT (from “creatures of habit”)
  • 63A Speck of dust atop the Matterhorn? : ALP PARTICLE (from “alpha particle”)

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

Bill’s time: 9m 46s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Symbol in the center of Cameroon’s flag : STAR

The national flag of Cameroon is green, red and yellow tricolor with a yellow, five-pointed star in the center. The color scheme is one of two Pan-African color schemes, the other being red, black and green.

The Republic of Cameroon is on the west coast of Africa. One of Cameroon’s claims to fame is having a great national soccer team, one that often seems to do well in the FIFA World Cup.

11 Retro-hip beers, for short : PBRS

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) is the most recognizable brand of beer from the Pabst Brewing Company. There appears to be some dispute over whether or not Pabst beer ever won a “blue ribbon” prize, but the company claims that it did so at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The beer was originally called Pabst Best Select, and then just Pabst Select. With the renaming to Blue Ribbon, the beer was sold with an actual blue ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle until it was dropped in 1916 and incorporated into the label.

16 “Mad About You” co-star : REISER

“Mad About You” is a sitcom from the nineties that stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a couple living in New York City. Reiser and Hunt did well out of the success of the show, each earning one million dollars per episode for the last season.

The comedian and actor Paul Reiser is best known for co-starring alongside Helen Hunt in the nineties sitcom “Mad About You”. Reiser also co-wrote the show’s theme song, “The Final Frontier”.

17 Baseball analyst Hershiser : OREL

Orel Hershiser is big into poker now that he has retired from Major League Baseball. Hershiser lives in Las Vegas and when he isn’t working for ESPN, apparently he is at the poker tables, playing professionally. When Hershiser is eliminated in a poker tournament, he is in the habit of presenting the person who ousts him with an autographed baseball.

18 Nana who deciphers coded messages? : GRAM CRACKER (from “Graham cracker”)

Graham crackers were conceived in 1829 as a part of the Graham Diet, a regimen touted by Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham. Graham’s diet was intended to suppress unhealthy carnal urges in young people. Like Dr. John Harvey Kellogg of corn flakes fame, Graham believed that a diet of bland foods helped curb sexual appetites.

20 Finger food, in Zaragoza : TAPA

Zaragoza is the capital city of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. The city’s name evolved from the name used by the ancient Romans, i.e. “Caesaraugusta”.

21 Colleague of Amy and Elena : SONIA

Sonia Sotomayor was the first Hispanic justice appointed to the US Supreme Court, and the third female justice. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace the retiring Justice David Souter.

22 Novelist Jaffe : RONA

Rona Jaffe was an American novelist perhaps most famous for two of her books, “The Best of Everything” and “Mazes and Monsters”. “The Best of Everything” was published in 1958 and has been compared with the HBO television series “Sex and the City” as it depicts women in the working world. “Mazes and Monsters” was published in 1981 and explores a role-playing game similar to Dungeons & Dragons and the impact it has on players.

23 Showbiz grand slam : EGOT

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards.

24 Skirmish between rival hives? : BATTLE OF STINGS (from “Battle of Hastings”)

The Battle of Hastings took place in the South East of England in 1066. The battle took place between the native Anglo-Saxons led by King Harold Godwinson, and the Norman-French led by Duke William II of Normandy. William emerged victorious, earning him the moniker William the Conqueror, and the crown of England as William I. That victory launched the Norman conquest of England.

29 Black Sea resort : YALTA

Yalta is a resort city on the Black Sea on the Crimean Peninsula. Crimea is very much in the news in recent years as ownership of the territory is in dispute between Russia and the Ukraine. Yalta was also in the news at the end of WWII, as it was the site of the 1945 Yalta Conference between the leaders of the three main Allies.

34 ESPNU topic : NCAA

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions, leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910. The NCAA has been headquartered in Indianapolis since 1999.

ESPNU (short for “ESPN Universities”) is a sports channel focused on college athletics.

37 Boot camp barker : SARGE

“Boot camp” is US Marine slang that dates back to WWII. “Boot” was a slang term for a recruit that dates back further, to the Spanish-American War. “Boots” were the leggings worn by American sailors.

44 “The Masked Dancer” panelist Paula : ABDUL

Paula Abdul is primarily a singer and dancer, and someone who endeared herself even more to the American public in recent years as a judge on “American Idol”. Abdul had a famous husband for a couple of years, as she was married to actor Emilio Estevez from 1992-94.

“The Masked Dancer” is a reality competition that first aired in 2020. It is similar to “The Masked Singer” in that celebrity contestants compete in masks and costumes. The show originated on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as a segment that spoofed “The Masked Singer”.

46 Name in a Salinger title : ESME

J. D. Salinger wrote a short story called “For Esmé – with Love and Squalor” that was originally published in “The New Yorker” in 1950. It is a story about a young English girl called Esme and an American soldier, and is set in WWII.

47 The planets, e.g. : OCTAD

There are several mnemonics used to remember the planets and the order in which they are found in the Solar System. One example is “My Very Easy Method Just Shows Us Nine Planets”, but that doesn’t really work since Pluto was relegated from “planethood” in 2006. The oft-quoted mnemonic for the eight planets is “My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nachos”. Given the relegation of Pluto, I kind of like “Many Very Educated Men Just Screwed Up Nature”.

50 Masked caller : UMP

That would be baseball.

59 Evian et Perrier : EAUX

“Eau” (plural “eaux”) is the French word for “water”.

62 Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Siân Heder : CODA

“CODA” is a 2021 movie, a remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film “La Famille Bélier”. The English-language version stars Emilia Jones as the only hearing member of a deaf family struggling with a fishing business in Gloucester, Massachusetts. “CODA” was the first film distributed by a streaming service (Apple TV+) to win a Best Picture Oscar. The title “CODA” is an acronym standing for “child of deaf adults”.

63 Speck of dust atop the Matterhorn? : ALP PARTICLE (from “alpha particle”)

“Matterhorn” is the German name for the famous Alpine peak that lies on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The Italian name for the same mountain is “Monte Cervino”, and the French call it “Mont Cervin”. “Matterhorn” comes from the German words Matte and Horn meaning “meadow” and “peak”. “Cervino” and “Cervin” come from the Latin name for the mountain, i.e. “Mons Silvius”, meaning “Forest Mountain”.

There are many types of radiation. Alpha rays are streams of alpha particles, which are basically helium nuclei, i.e. two protons and two neutrons bound together. Alpha particles are emitted by many different types of radioactive elements in the process known as alpha decay.

66 Big name in skin care : AVON

In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

67 Coffee cup insulator : SLEEVE

The coffee cup sleeve was invented in 1991, and patented in 1995. The invention was introduced using the trademark “Java Jacket”.

69 Snafu : MESS

“SNAFU” is an acronym standing for “situation normal: all fouled up” (well, that’s the polite version!). As one might perhaps imagine, the term developed in the US Army, during WWII.

Down

3 Maker of the first refrigerator with a dry-erase door : AMANA

The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa. Today, the Amana name is very much associated with household appliances. The company was founded in 1934 to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers.

5 Like some vbs. : IRR

“To be” is an irregular (irr.) verb (vb.)

6 PBS benefactor : NEA

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an agency funded by the federal government that offers support and financing for artistic projects. The NEA was created by an Act of Congress in 1965. Between 1965 and 2008, the NEA awarded over $4 billion to the arts, with Congress authorizing around $170 million annually through the eighties and much of the nineties. That funding was cut to less than $100 million in the late nineties due to pressure from conservatives concerned about the use of funds, but it is now back over the $150 million mark.

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was founded in 1970, and is my favorite of the broadcast networks. I love PBS’s drama and science shows in particular, and always watch election results coming in with the NewsHour team.

10 Collected goofs : ERRATA

“Errata” is the past participle of the Latin word “errare” meaning “to err”. We use “errata” (singular “erratum”) to describe a list of errors that have been noted in some publication.

11 Sovereign : POTENTATE

A potentate is a ruler holding great sway, independent power.

13 Bank actions, briefly : REPOS

Repossession (repo)

25 Lana of Smallville : LANG

Lana Lang is a character in the DC Comics universe. She grew up in Smallville, and was a friend of the young Clark Kent. As an adult, Lana became a rival to Lois Lane for the adult Kent’s affections. Lang has been portrayed by several actresses on the big and small screens. A unique portrayer of Lang is Annette O’Toole in the 1983 film “Superman III”. O’Toole went on to play Martha Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive mother on the TV show “Smallville”. Apparently, the producers of “Smallville” cast O’Toole as Clark’s mother without realizing that she had once played Clark’s girlfriend.

27 “Casablanca” role : ILSA

Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund were played by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 movie “Casablanca”. I love the words of one critic describing the chemistry between Bogart and Bergman in this film: “She paints his face with her eyes”. Wow …

The movie “Casablanca” was released in January of 1943, timed to coincide with the Casablanca Conference, the high-level meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill. The film wasn’t a box-office hit, but gained critical acclaim, winning three Oscars including Best Picture. The signature song “As Time Goes By” was written many years earlier for a 1931 Broadway musical called “Everybody’s Welcome”, and was a hit in 1931 for Rudy Vallee. But today we all remember the Casablanca version, sung by Dooley Wilson (who played “Sam” in the film). Poor Dooley didn’t get to record it as a single, due to a musician’s strike in 1943. The 1931 Rudy Vallee version was re-released that year and became an even bigger hit second time round.

30 Telemundo article : UNA

Telemundo is a Spanish-language TV channel that is headquartered in Miami. Founded in 1984 as Net Span, Telemundo is the second-largest provider of Spanish-language programming after Univision.

32 Cadillacs manufactured for 50 years : ELDORADOS

The Cadillac Eldorado is a two-door luxury car that was produced by GM from 1953 to 2002. The name “Eldorado” was chosen after a competition was held internally within GM. Translating roughly as “the golden one”, “Eldorado” first applied to a concept vehicle that celebrated Cadillac’s golden anniversary in 1952.

36 Santa __ winds : ANA

The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically “falls” down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.

39 Palindrome in stanzas : ERE

“Stanza” is an Italian word meaning “verse of a poem”.

41 Sephora rival : ULTA

Ulta Beauty is an American chain of beauty stores that was founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I am not part of the company’s target demographic …

Sephora is a French chain of cosmetic stores, founded in 1969. The name “Sephora” is derived from the Greek for “beauty” (“sephos”). We’ve been able to visit Sephora outlets in JCPenney stores since 2006.

42 Veld grazers : GNUS

The gnu is also known as the wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is a Dutch meaning “wild beast”.

”Veldt” (sometimes “veld”) is the name given to large rural spaces in southern Africa. We might use the term “boondocks” for the same thing. The word “veldt” comes from the German for “field”.

43 __ pad : MEMO

“Memorandum” means “thing to be remembered” in Latin, from the verb “memorare” meaning “to call to mind”.

49 Pickup truck with four rear wheels : DUALLY

Pickup trucks are probably so called because they can be used to “pick up” bulky items from say a store, and then deliver them elsewhere. Here in North America, we call a pickup with four rear wheels (instead of two) a “dually”, a colloquial term. A dually can carry more weight on the rear axle than a regular pickup.

52 Mulled wine spice : CLOVE

Cloves are the flower buds of the tree Syzygium aromaticum. Until a couple of centuries ago, clove trees were only found in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Because they were a rich source of cloves, mace and nutmeg, the Moluccas were referred to historically as the Spice Islands.

Mulled wine (also “spiced wine”) is red wine mixed with mulling spices and served hot or warm. The combination making up mulling spices usually includes cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Mulled wine might also include some dried fruit, especially raisins. Yum …

53 Karachi currency : RUPEE

The rupee is a unit of currency used in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan. The term “rupee” comes from the Sanskrit word “rupya”, which once meant “stamped, impressed” and then “coin”.

Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan. It was the country’s capital when Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947. The capital was moved to Rawalpindi in 1958, and then to the newly built city of Islamabad in 1960.

55 Heckles : BAITS

Originally, the verb “to heckle” meant “to question severely”, and for many years was associated with the public questioning of parliamentary candidates in Scotland. In more recent times, the meaning has evolved into questioning that is less polite and that is directed at stand-up comics.

58 Grifter’s game : SCAM

Grift is money made dishonestly, especially as the result of a swindle. The term is perhaps an alteration of the word “graft”, which can have a similar meaning.

64 Prefix for the birds? : AVI-

The prefix “avi-” means “bird-related” as in “aviculture”, the breeding of birds. “Avis” is Latin for “bird”.

65 Rare color? : RED

That would be meat …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Symbol in the center of Cameroon’s flag : STAR
5 Sentence server : INMATE
11 Retro-hip beers, for short : PBRS
15 Quaint sigh : AH ME
16 “Mad About You” co-star : REISER
17 Baseball analyst Hershiser : OREL
18 Nana who deciphers coded messages? : GRAM CRACKER (from “Graham cracker”)
20 Finger food, in Zaragoza : TAPA
21 Colleague of Amy and Elena : SONIA
22 Novelist Jaffe : RONA
23 Showbiz grand slam : EGOT
24 Skirmish between rival hives? : BATTLE OF STINGS (from “Battle of Hastings”)
28 Used a rocker : SAT
29 Black Sea resort : YALTA
30 Functions : USES
34 ESPNU topic : NCAA
37 Boot camp barker : SARGE
40 Serious business, and a hint to four answers in this puzzle : NO LAUGHING MATTER
44 “The Masked Dancer” panelist Paula : ABDUL
45 Serious locks : MANE
46 Name in a Salinger title : ESME
47 The planets, e.g. : OCTAD
50 Masked caller : UMP
52 Horses now tame enough to ride? : CREATURES OF BIT (from “creatures of habit”)
58 Smack : SLAP
59 Evian et Perrier : EAUX
60 Like some Windows errors : FATAL
62 Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Siân Heder : CODA
63 Speck of dust atop the Matterhorn? : ALP PARTICLE (from “alpha particle”)
66 Big name in skin care : AVON
67 Coffee cup insulator : SLEEVE
68 Consequently : THEN
69 Snafu : MESS
70 Shadow canvas : EYELID
71 Org. scheme : SYST

Down

1 Gives a little : SAGS
2 Pulsate strongly : THROB
3 Maker of the first refrigerator with a dry-erase door : AMANA
4 Mail payment : REMIT
5 Like some vbs. : IRR
6 PBS benefactor : NEA
7 Smaller than small : MICRO
8 Request from : ASK OF
9 Smaller than small : TEENSY
10 Collected goofs : ERRATA
11 Sovereign : POTENTATE
12 Self-promoters : BRAGGARTS
13 Bank actions, briefly : REPOS
14 Crate piece : SLAT
19 Pets who may squeeze into shoeboxes : CATS
25 Lana of Smallville : LANG
26 Mark for good : ETCH
27 “Casablanca” role : ILSA
30 Telemundo article : UNA
31 Blubber : SOB
32 Cadillacs manufactured for 50 years : ELDORADOS
33 They often hang around kitchens : SAUCEPANS
35 Point : AIM
36 Santa __ winds : ANA
38 Bit of finery : GEM
39 Palindrome in stanzas : ERE
41 Sephora rival : ULTA
42 Veld grazers : GNUS
43 __ pad : MEMO
48 Relaxed : AT EASE
49 Pickup truck with four rear wheels : DUALLY
51 “Hah, right!” : PFFT!
52 Mulled wine spice : CLOVE
53 Karachi currency : RUPEE
54 Run out : EXPEL
55 Heckles : BAITS
56 Like wool, for many : ITCHY
57 Lore : TALES
58 Grifter’s game : SCAM
61 Temporarily provided : LENT
64 Prefix for the birds? : AVI-
65 Rare color? : RED