LA Times Crossword 11 Mar 19, Monday

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Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Water Break

Themed answers include the letters “WATER” BROKEN in two, split between the start and end of the answer:

  • 58A. Time for a drink at the gym… or what can literally be seen in 17-, 24-, 35- and 49-Across : WATER BREAK
  • 17A. Movie buff’s collectible : WALL POSTER
  • 24A. Warm winter wear : WOOL SWEATER
  • 35A. Tool for whacking unwanted grasses : WEED EATER
  • 49A. Looked after : WATCHED OVER

Bill’s time: 5m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Jet trail : VAPOR

We talk so often about global warming these days but there is another fascinating phenomenon that is related, and known as “global dimming”. Global dimming is the reduction in the amount of heat that radiates daily from the planet due to the insulating effect of pollution and vapor trails (contrails) from aircraft that are present in the atmosphere. The effect has been touted as a theory for decades but dramatic empirical data became available in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Planes were grounded and the skies over America were clear for three days. There was a stark change in the temperature range measured across the US for these three days, demonstrating the impact that air travel has on our climate.

6. Torino ta-ta : CIAO

Turin (“Torino” in Italian) is a major city in the north of Italy that sits on the Po River. Back in 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was formed, Turin was chosen as the first capital of the country.

10. Lima or soya : BEAN

The lima bean is also known as the butter bean. The lima bean was introduced to Europe from the area around Lima, Peru, hence the name.

What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.

14. Conductor Seiji : OZAWA

Seiji Ozawa is most famous for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, although he is also the principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera. Ozawa is renowned for wearing a white turtleneck under his dress suit when he conducts, rather than the traditional starched shirt and white tie.

16. Rifle range supply : AMMO

The word “munitions” describes materials and equipment used in war. The term derives from the Latin “munitionem” meaning “fortification, defensive wall”. Back in the 17th century, French soldiers referred to such materials as “la munition”, a Middle French term. This was misheard as “l’ammunition”, and as a result we ended up importing the word “ammunition” (often shortened to “ammo”), a term that we now use mainly to describe the material fired from a weapon.

17. Movie buff’s collectible : WALL POSTER

A buff or nut is someone who is extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a subject. For example, one might be a movie buff, or perhaps a baseball nut.

19. Like spider webs : SPUN

The silk that makes up a web is a protein fiber that is “spun” by a spider. Spider silk is about one sixth of the density of steel, yet has a comparable tensile strength.

20. Trees devastated by a “Dutch” disease : ELMS

Dutch elm disease is a fungus devastating to all species of elm trees that is transmitted by the elm bark beetle. The disease is thought to have originated in Asia and is now rampant in Europe and North America. Even though there is a hybrid of elm known as the Dutch elm, the disease isn’t named after the tree. Rather, the disease is called “Dutch” as it was identified in 1921 by a phytopathologist (plant pathologist) in the Netherlands.

21. Go kaput : DIE

“Kaput” is a familiar term meaning “incapacitated, destroyed”, and comes to us from French (via German). The original word “capot” means “not having won a single trick” in the French card game Piquet.

23. Late July zodiac sign : LEO

Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac. People born from July 23 to August 22 are Leos.

27. Popeye, for one : SAILOR

Popeye first appeared in 1929 in a comic strip called “Thimble Theatre”. The strip, created by E. C. Segar, ran for ten years before Popeye made an appearance. Popeye received such a great welcome from readers that he soon “took over” the strip, and eventually even hogged the strip’s title. Before Popeye turned up, Olive Oyl was the main character.

29. Ramen : Japan :: __ : Vietnam : PHO

Pho is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food.

Ramen is a noodle dish composed of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a meat or fish broth flavored with soy or miso sauce. Ramen is usually topped with sliced pork and dried seaweed. The term “ramen” is a also used for precooked, instant noodles that come in single-serving, solid blocks.

30. Med. care group : HMO

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

31. Croat or Serb : SLAV

The Slavic peoples are in the majority in communities covering over half of Europe. This large ethnic group is traditionally broken down into three smaller groups:

  • the West Slavic (including Czechs and Poles)
  • the East Slavic (including Russians and Ukrainians)
  • the South Slavic (including Bulgarians and Serbs)

32. Capri or Wight : ISLE

The island of Capri off the coast of Southern Italy has been a tourist resort since the days of ancient Rome. Capri is home to the famous Blue Grotto, a sea cave that is illuminated with sunlight that’s colored blue as it passes through the seawater into the cave.

The Isle of Wight is the largest island in England, and lies about five miles off the south coast of the country. For many centuries, the island was a kingdom in its own right. One popular tourist attraction on the Isle of Wight is Osborne House, a former royal residence that was built as a summer home for Queen Victoria, and that was indeed designed by the queen’s consort Prince Albert. Queen Victoria died in Osborne House, in 1901.

35. Tool for whacking unwanted grasses : WEED EATER

Weed Eater was the company founded in 1971 that invented the string trimmer used for cutting grass and other plants while protecting nearby objects. Fans of “Dancing with the Stars” might be interested in the fact that the Weed Eater was invented by George C. Ballas, Sr., grandfather of professional dancer Mark Ballas.

42. Damon of “True Grit” (2010) : MATT

Matt Damon is an actor and screenwriter from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Damon’s big break came with the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting”, in which he starred. He co-wrote the screenplay with his childhood friend Ben Affleck.

The classic 1969 western movie “True Grit” starring John Wayne is a screen adaptation of a 1968 novel by Charles Portis. The Coen brothers released another big screen adaption of the novel using the same title in 2010 starring Jeff Bridges in the Rooster Cogburn role previously played by John Wayne.

47. Some October babies : LIBRAS

The constellation of Libra is named for the scales held by the goddess of justice. Libra is the only sign of the zodiac that isn’t named for a living creature.

53. High dudgeon : IRE

“Dudgeon” is a noun describing a state of sullen, ill humor. To be in a state of “high” dudgeon is to be in really ill humor.

61. Airline with an all-kosher menu : EL AL

El Al Israel Airlines is the flag carrier of Israel. The term “el al” translates from Hebrew as “to the skies”. The company started operations in 1948, with a flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv. Famously, El Al only operates six days a week, not flying on the Sabbath.

66. Caravan stops : OASES

A camel train carrying passengers or goods across a desert can be referred to as a caravan. “Caravan” derives from the Persian “karwan”, which has the same meaning. Over in Britain, “caravan” is the name given to travel trailers.

Down

2. Rhododendron shrubs : AZALEAS

Azaleas are very toxic to horses, sheep and goats, but strangely enough cause no problem for cats or dogs. And if you go to Korea you might come across “Tug Yonju”, which is azalea wine made from the plant’s blossoms. Azaleas are usually grown as shrubs, but are also seen as small trees, and often indoors.

3. Saturated vegetable fat : PALM OIL

Palm oil and coconut oil are two vegetable oils that aren’t very good for our health. Both are high in saturated fat.

4. Big-eyed birds : OWLS

Much of an owl’s diet consists of small mammals. As a result, humans have used owls for centuries to control rodent populations, usually by placing a nest box for owls on a property. Despite the the fact that owls and humans live together in relative harmony, owls have been known to attack humans from time to time. Celebrated English bird photographer Eric Hosking lost an eye when attacked by a tawny owl that he was trying to photograph. Hosking wrote an 1970 autobiography with the wry title “An Eye for a Bird”.

5. Drake genre : RAP

Drake is the stage name of rapper Aubrey Graham from Toronto.

6. Electronic calculator pioneer : CASIO

Casio is a Japanese manufacturer of mainly electronic products, including calculators, watches and electronic keyboards. It was Casio that produced the first portable and compact all-electric calculator, way back in 1957.

7. Pentium processor maker : INTEL

Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The company was founded in 1968, and the name “Intel” is a derived from the term “int(egrated) el(ectronics)”. Recognition of the Intel brand has been greatly helped by the success of the “Intel Inside” campaign that started back in 1991.

9. “__ the ramparts … ” : O’ER

The words “o’er the ramparts we watched” come from “The Star Spangled Banner” written by Francis Scott Key.

A rampart is a raised embankment, mound of earth, or length of wall that is used as a fortification. Ramparts often surround castles and forts.

10. Port in southeastern Iraq : BASRA

Basra is a Iraq’s main port, and is located in the southeast of the country, just 34 miles from the Persian Gulf. Access to the gulf is via the Shatt al-Arab waterway, a river that discharges into the gulf in the port city of Umm Qasr.

12. “Say something funny!” : AMUSE ME!

Q. Why did the chicken go to the séance?

A. To get to the other side.

22. Nat __ Wild: cable channel : GEO

The National Geographic Channel (Nat Geo) is jointly owned by Fox and the National Geographic Society, and was launched in 2001.

24. Worked on a loom : WOVE

Our word “loom”, meaning “weaving machine”, originally described any tool or implement. An “heirloom” was such a device that was inherited. The meaning was extended to include any property passed down after a death.

33. Poivre partner : SEL

In French, one might season one’s food with “sel” (salt) and “poivre” (pepper).

34. Graceful horse : ARAB

The Arab (also “Arabian”) breed of horse takes its name from its original home, the Arabian Peninsula. Like any animal that humans have over-bred, the horse falls prey to genetic diseases, some of which are fatal and some of which require the horse to be euthanized.

37. Kuwait potentate : EMIR

The State of Kuwait sits at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, famously sharing a border to the north with Iraq. After WWI, Kuwait was a Protectorate within the British Empire and then gained independence from the UK in 1961. Iraq annexed Kuwait in 1990, which led to the Gulf War of 1990-1991.

39. Losing big at the casino, say : IN A HOLE

The term “casino” originated in the 1700s, then describing a public room for music or dancing. “Casino” is a diminutive of “casa” meaning “house”.

43. “Three-headed” arm muscle : TRICEPS

The triceps brachii muscle is found at the back of the upper arm. The muscle’s name translates to “three-headed arm muscle”, fitting as it is actually made up of three bundles of muscles.

44. Raw steak style : TARTARE

Steak tartare was first served in French restaurants in the early 1900s. Back then, the dish went by the name “steak à l’Americaine”, would you believe? It was basically raw, seasoned beef mixed with egg yolk. A later version of l’Americaine, without the egg yolk and with tartar sauce served on the side, was dubbed “steak tartare”. Over time the two versions became one, and the steak tartare moniker won out. By the way, if you order steak tartare in Switzerland, I believe you are served horse meat. There are now similar “tartare” dishes made with raw salmon, or raw tuna.

48. Japanese watches : SEIKOS

Seiko Epson is a Japanese company, and one of the largest manufacturers of printers in the world. The company has its roots in the watch business, roots that go back to 1942. Seiko was chosen as the official timekeeper for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and was asked to supply a timer that produced a printed record. This request brought Seiko into the business of printer production. The company developed the world’s first mini-printer for the 1964 Games and called it EP-101 (EP standing for Electronic Printer). In 1975 Seiko introduced the next generation of EP printers which was called EPSON, from “SON of EP”. Cute, huh?

51. Playful marine animal : OTTER

Sea otters actually hold hands while sleeping on their backs so that they don’t drift apart. When sea otter pups are too small to lock hands, they clamber up onto their mother’s belly and nap there.

58. Letters in a URL : WWW

In essence, the World Wide Web 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 the collection of documents, and the Internet is 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 …

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a Uniform Resource Locators (URL).

60. Dude : BRO

Our term “dude” arose as slang in New York City in the 1880s, when it was used to describe a fastidious man. In the early 1900s, the term was extended to mean “city slickers”, easterners who vacationed in the West. The first use of the term “dude ranch” was recorded in 1921.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Jet trail : VAPOR
6. Torino ta-ta : CIAO
10. Lima or soya : BEAN
14. Conductor Seiji : OZAWA
15. Poker hand buy-in : ANTE
16. Rifle range supply : AMMO
17. Movie buff’s collectible : WALL POSTER
19. Like spider webs : SPUN
20. Trees devastated by a “Dutch” disease : ELMS
21. Go kaput : DIE
22. Manually clutch : GRASP
23. Late July zodiac sign : LEO
24. Warm winter wear : WOOL SWEATER
27. Popeye, for one : SAILOR
29. Ramen : Japan :: __ : Vietnam : PHO
30. Med. care group : HMO
31. Croat or Serb : SLAV
32. Capri or Wight : ISLE
34. All in favor : AYES
35. Tool for whacking unwanted grasses : WEED EATER
38. Puppies’ bites : NIPS
41. Friend in battle : ALLY
42. Damon of “True Grit” (2010) : MATT
45. “__, please”: box office request from a single patron : ONE
46. Orlando-to-Miami dir. : SSE
47. Some October babies : LIBRAS
49. Looked after : WATCHED OVER
53. High dudgeon : IRE
54. “Aw, shucks!” : OH, GEE!
55. No-winner situation : TIE
56. Start of a play : ACT I
57. Betting group : POOL
58. Time for a drink at the gym… or what can literally be seen in 17-, 24-, 35- and 49-Across : WATER BREAK
61. Airline with an all-kosher menu : EL AL
62. “Close one!” : WHEW!
63. Copy, briefly : REPRO
64. Driving range barriers : NETS
65. Ironically, some are “civil” : WARS
66. Caravan stops : OASES

Down

1. The word “America” has four of them : VOWELS
2. Rhododendron shrubs : AZALEAS
3. Saturated vegetable fat : PALM OIL
4. Big-eyed birds : OWLS
5. Drake genre : RAP
6. Electronic calculator pioneer : CASIO
7. Pentium processor maker : INTEL
8. Gobbled up : ATE
9. “__ the ramparts … ” : O’ER
10. Port in southeastern Iraq : BASRA
11. Capacity to relate : EMPATHY
12. “Say something funny!” : AMUSE ME!
13. Amateurs : NON-PROS
18. Smell : ODOR
22. Nat __ Wild: cable channel : GEO
24. Worked on a loom : WOVE
25. Spread out, as fingers : SPLAY
26. Stimulate : WHET
28. Felons violate them : LAWS
32. Ran in neutral : IDLED
33. Poivre partner : SEL
34. Graceful horse : ARAB
36. Lack of difficulty : EASE
37. Kuwait potentate : EMIR
38. Sign on a new store : NOW OPEN
39. Losing big at the casino, say : IN A HOLE
40. Bleating companion : PET GOAT
43. “Three-headed” arm muscle : TRICEPS
44. Raw steak style : TARTARE
46. Ship’s pronoun : SHE
47. Creepy look : LEER
48. Japanese watches : SEIKOS
50. Rooms behind bars? : CELLS
51. Playful marine animal : OTTER
52. Vantage points : VIEWS
56. Office space calculation : AREA
58. Letters in a URL : WWW
59. ”Now I get it!” : AHA!
60. Dude : BRO