LA Times Crossword 24 Jun 19, Monday

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Constructed by: Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: B and E

Themed answers each comprise two words, starting with the letters “B” AND “E”:

  • 38A Burglary, for short … and a hint to this puzzle’s four longest answers : B AND E
  • 17A Medical licensing test : BOARD EXAM
  • 59A Online mass marketing message : BULK EMAIL
  • 10D Wearing away of a riverside slope : BANK EROSION
  • 23D Torso-twisting “spin” that has no effect on the ball : BODY ENGLISH

Bill’s time: 5m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Esau’s twin : JACOB

Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When their mother Rebekah gave birth to the twins “the first emerged red and hairy all over (Esau), with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out (Jacob)”. As Esau was the first born, he was entitled to inherit his father’s wealth (it was his “birthright”). Instead, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a “mess of pottage” (a meal of lentils).

6 Wee bit : TAD

Back in the 1800s, “tad” was used to describe a young child, and this extended into our usage of “small amount” in the early 1900s. The original use of “tad” for a child is very likely a shortened version of “tadpole”.

14 Love, in Milan : AMORE

Milan is Italy’s second largest city, second only to Rome. Milan is a European fashion capital, the headquarters for the big Italian fashion houses of Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada and others. Mario Prada was even born in Milan, and helped establish the city’s reputation in the world of fashion.

15 Hoopla : ADO

The word “hoopla” means “boisterous excitement”. The term probably comes from “houp-là”, something the French say instead of “upsy-daisy”. Then again, “upsy-daisy” probably isn’t something said very often here in the US …

16 1945 “Big Three” summit site : YALTA

The Yalta Conference was a wartime meeting between WWII leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Held in February of 1945, the conference is most remembered for decisions made on the post-war organization of Europe. To a large extent, the three leaders made decisions carving up political influence around the world, decisions that have profound implications to this day.

The Grand Alliance of WWII brought together the Big Three Allied powers: the USSR, the USA and the UK. An alternative moniker for the relationship is the Strange Alliance, reflecting the unlikely cooperation between the world’s most influential communist state (the USSR), capitalist state (the USA), and colonial power (the UK).

21 “Ghostbusters” goo : SLIME

1984’s “Ghostbusters” really is an entertaining movie. It stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, and was directed by Ivan Reitman (a trio that also worked together on 1981’s “Stripes”). The first draft of the screenplay was written by another star of the movie, Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd originally envisioned “Ghostbusters” as a vehicle for himself and John Belushi, but sadly Belushi passed away before the project could be realized.

22 Sport with rifles and disks : SKEET

There are three types of competitive shotgun target shooting sports:

  • Skeet shooting
  • Trap shooting
  • Sporting clays

23 Tot’s mealtime chest protector : 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 …

24 Cardin of design : PIERRE

Pierre Cardin is an Italian-born French fashion designer. Cardin founded his fashion house in 1950.

29 Deborah of “The King and I” : KERR

Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress who made a real name for herself on the American stage and in Hollywood movies. Despite all her success, and six nominations for a Best Actress Oscar, Kerr never actually won an Academy Award. In 1967, she appeared in the James Bond film “Casino Royale” at the age of 46, making her oldest Bond Girl of all time.

“The King and I” is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a book by Margaret Landon called “Anna and the King of Siam” first published in 1944. Landon’s book is based on a true story, told in the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens was the governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 1860s, and she also taught the king’s wives.

37 Group of quail : BEVY

“Bevy” is a collective noun used for a number of types of bird, including quail and swans. “Bevy” is also sometimes used as a collective noun for ladies.

“Quail” is a name used for several chicken-like wild birds. Quail are common prey for hunters.

38 Burglary, for short … and a hint to this puzzle’s four longest answers : B AND E

The crime of burglary is the breaking into and entering of a building with the intent to steal. The actual theft itself is a separate crime.

39 Pen name that sounds like a drink : SAKI

H. H. Munro was a British writer who actually was born in Burma. He was most famous for his short stories, which he published using the pen name “Saki”.

We refer to the Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice as “sake”. We’ve gotten things a bit mixed up in the West. “Sake” is actually the word that the Japanese use for all alcoholic drinks. What we know as sake, we sometimes refer to as rice wine. Also, the starch in the rice is first converted to sugars that are then fermented into alcohol. This is more akin to a beer-brewing process than wine production, so the end product is really a rice “beer” rather than a rice “wine”.

40 Maple or sycamore : TREE

The sugar maple is the state tree of New York, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin. It is also the primary source of maple syrup.

The name “sycamore” covers several species of tree, all of which have a similar shape of leaf.

41 1998 film with talking bugz? : ANTZ

“Antz” was the first feature movie released by Dreamworks SKG, the studio founded by Steven Spielberg and two partners in 1994. “Antz” came out in 1998, and has a stellar cast that includes Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sylvester Stallone, Gene Hackman and many, many other big names. The cartoon is quite unique in that the facial features of the voice actors are reflected in the animated characters.

43 State between Mont. and Minn. : NDAK

The Dakota Territory was formed in 1861 and ceased to exist with the admission to the Union of the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The territory was split into two states in 1889 largely due to lobbying by the Republican Party, which enjoyed a lot of support in the Dakota Territory. The admission of two states added to the political power of the party in the US Senate, by adding four safe Republican seats.

45 Transfers from computer to cloud, say : UPLOADS

In the world of computing, when one operates “in the cloud”, one’s files and key applications are not stored on one’s own computer, but rather are residing “in the cloud”, on a computer somewhere out on the Internet. I do 90% of my computing in the cloud. That way I don’t have to worry about backing up files, and I can operate from any computer if I have to …

50 Actor McKellen : IAN

Sir Ian McKellen is a marvelous English actor, one who is comfortable playing anything from Macbeth on stage to Magneto in an “X-Men” movie. On the big screen, McKellen is very famous for playing Gandalf in “The Lord of Rings”. In the UK, Sir Ian is noted for being at the forefront of the campaign for equal rights for gay people, a role he has enthusiastically embraced since the eighties.

51 Instruments for Yo-Yo Ma : CELLI

The word “cello” (plural “celli” or “cellos”) is an abbreviation for “violoncello”, an Italian word for “little violone”, referring to a group of stringed instruments that were popular up to the end of the 17th century. The name violoncello persisted for the instrument that we know today, although the abbreviation ‘cello was often used. Nowadays we just drop the apostrophe.

Yo-Yo Ma is a marvelous American cellist who was born in Paris to Chinese parents. Ma started studying the violin when he was very young, working his way up (in size) to the viola and finally to the cello. He has said that he wanted to play the double bass, but it was just too big for his relatively small frame.

55 “Hulk” 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”.

“Hulk” is a 2003 film with Eric Bana starring in the title role, as Hulk, and the superhero’s alter ego Dr. Bruce Banner. “Hulk” receive a mediocre reception, and so it was remade as “The Incredible Hulk” in 2008.

63 Artery in an angiogram : AORTA

The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

An angiogram is (usually) an x-ray image taken of the circulatory system. The image is often enhanced by the introduction of a radio-opaque “dye” into the bloodstream.

65 Mariner’s “Help!” : SOS

The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots). That said, in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so “SOS” is really only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are also mnemonics that were introduced after the SOS signal was adopted.

66 Called the game : UMPED

Back in the 15th century, “an umpire” was referred to as “a noumpere”, which was misheard and hence causing the dropping of the initial letter N. The term “noumpere” came from Old French “nonper” meaning “not even, odd number”. The idea was that the original umpire was a third person called on to arbitrate between two, providing that “odd number” needed to decide the dispute.

Down

2 Mine, in Metz : A MOI

The city of Metz is in the northeast of France, and close to the German border. Given the proximity to Germany, Metz has both a strong German tradition and a strong French tradition. Metz was handed over to the French following WWI, after nearly 50 years of German rule. It quickly fell back into German hands in 1940 during WWII, with many German officers delighted to have back the city of their birth. Perhaps because of this long association with Germany, the US Army under General Patton encountered stiff resistance when liberating Metz in 1944. The cathedral in Metz is home to the largest expanse of stained glass in the world, almost 70,000 square feet in all.

4 Hockey immortal : ORR

Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking. While still 31 years old, in 1979, Orr became the youngest person inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Prior to that, in 1967, Orr became the youngest person named the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

6 Ride with a meter : 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”.

7 Actor Sandler : ADAM

Adam Sandler’s big break was with “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). He then went on to make several successful movies and has his own movie and television production company. Personally, I am not a fan of Adam Sandler as a performer, nor of his movies …

8 Rotunda topper : DOME

In architecture, the word “rotunda” describes a building with a circular ground plan. Often the building has a dome, but that isn’t a strict requirement. The term can also refer to a round room within a building. The most famous example in this country is the Rotunda in the US Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

12 Rodeo bovine : STEER

Something bovine is related to a cow, ox or buffalo, any ruminant in the genus Bos. “Bos” is the Latin for “cow”, and “bovinus” a Late Latin derivative term.

13 Poker Flat chronicler Bret : HARTE

“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.

18 North Sea feeder : ELBE

The River Elbe rises in the Czech Republic and travels over a thousand kilometers before emptying into the North Sea near the port of Hamburg in Germany.

23 Torso-twisting “spin” that has no effect on the ball : BODY ENGLISH

The term “body English” describes the movement that someone might make to influence the movement of an object that has already been propelled. One might watch a golfer’s body English after he or she tees off and yells “go left, go left!”

24 Dijon dad : PERE

Dijon is a city in eastern France in the Burgundy region. Dijon is famous for its mustard, a particularly strong variation of the condiment. The European Union doesn’t protect the name “Dijon” so anyone can use it on a label. That seems fair enough to me, given that 90% of the mustard made in and around Dijon is produced using mustard seed imported from Canada!

27 Home to Alley Oop : CAVE

“Alley Oop” is a comic strip that ran for four decades starting in 1932. “Alley Oop” was drawn by V. T. Hamlin. The title character lived in the prehistoric kingdom of Moo, although for much of the strip’s life, Alley Oop had access to a time machine. Alley Oop also had a girlfriend called Ooola. I had assumed that Ooola’s name was a play on “hula hoop”, but that little toy wasn’t invented until the 1950s (a kind blog reader informs me) …

28 Hit on the tush : SPANK

“Tush”, a word meaning “backside”, is an abbreviation of “tochus” that comes from the Yiddish “tokhes”.

29 Invasive Asian vine : KUDZU

Kudzu is a climbing vine that is native to southern Japan and southeast China. “Kudzu” is derived from the Japanese name for the plant, “kuzu”. Kudzu is a vigorously growing weed that chokes other plants by climbing all over them and shielding them from light. Kudzu was brought to the US from Asia for the Japanese pavilion in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It was marketed as an ornamental, especially in the southeast of the country, and now is all over the region. Kudzu earned itself the nickname “the vine that ate the South”.

32 Toronto’s prov. : ONT

Beautiful Toronto, Ontario is the largest city in Canada, and the fourth most populous city in North America (after Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles).

34 Delany of “Desperate Housewives” : DANA

Actress Dana Delany came to the public’s attention playing the lead in the TV show “China Beach” from 1988 to 1991. More recently, she played the lead in the drama series “Body of Proof” from 2011 to 2013.

The TV drama “Desperate Housewives” ran for eight seasons. During pre-production, the show was called “Wisteria Lane” and then “The Secret Lives of Housewives”. The “desperate housewives” lived on the fictional Wisteria Lane in the fictional town of Fairview in the fictional Eagle State. That’s a lot of fiction …

42 Kin of a mesa : PLATEAU

“What’s the difference between a butte and a mesa?” Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, and taller than it is wide.

52 Sluggers’ stats : RBIS

Run batted in (RBI)

53 Milan money : EURO

Euro coins are issued by all the participating European states. The reverse side is a common design used by all countries, whereas the obverse is a design specific to each nation. For example, the one euro coin issued by Malta features the Maltese Cross. That Maltese euro is legal tender right across the eurozone. The Irish euro features a harp.

55 Strong lobby for seniors : AARP

“AARP” is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

60 Judy, to Liza : MOM

The actress Judy Garland’s real name was Frances Gumm. Garland was respected and loved both within and without the entertainment industry. She was the youngest recipient, at 39 years old, of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the motion picture industry.

Actress and singer Liza Minnelli is the daughter of Judy Garland and movie director Vincente Minnelli. Liza won her only Oscar for her lead performance in 1972’s “Cabaret”. She has also won an Emmy, Grammy and Tony, and is one of the very few entertainers to have made that “sweep”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Esau’s twin : JACOB
6 Wee bit : TAD
9 Cause to blush : ABASH
14 Love, in Milan : AMORE
15 Hoopla : ADO
16 1945 “Big Three” summit site : YALTA
17 Medical licensing test : BOARD EXAM
19 Go in : ENTER
20 “Pull up a chair” : SIT
21 “Ghostbusters” goo : SLIME
22 Sport with rifles and disks : SKEET
23 Tot’s mealtime chest protector : BIB
24 Cardin of design : PIERRE
25 Translates, as a cipher : DECODES
29 Deborah of “The King and I” : KERR
30 Get away from : EVADE
31 Rain really hard : POUR
33 Smell : ODOR
37 Group of quail : BEVY
38 Burglary, for short … and a hint to this puzzle’s four longest answers : B AND E
39 Pen name that sounds like a drink : SAKI
40 Maple or sycamore : TREE
41 1998 film with talking bugz? : ANTZ
42 Longed (for) : PINED
43 State between Mont. and Minn. : NDAK
45 Transfers from computer to cloud, say : UPLOADS
47 Theater platforms : STAGES
50 Actor McKellen : IAN
51 Instruments for Yo-Yo Ma : CELLI
52 Flinch or blink : REACT
55 “Hulk” director Lee : ANG
58 Thing of the past : RELIC
59 Online mass marketing message : BULK EMAIL
61 Won by __: squeaked out the victory : A NOSE
62 Wrath : IRE
63 Artery in an angiogram : AORTA
64 Unverified stories : MYTHS
65 Mariner’s “Help!” : SOS
66 Called the game : UMPED

Down

1 Short punches : JABS
2 Mine, in Metz : A MOI
3 Paint layer : COAT
4 Hockey immortal : ORR
5 Place for reading a nighttime story to a tot : BEDSIDE
6 Ride with a meter : TAXI
7 Actor Sandler : ADAM
8 Rotunda topper : DOME
9 Sailor’s assent : AYE, SIR
10 Wearing away of a riverside slope : BANK EROSION
11 Change : ALTER
12 Rodeo bovine : STEER
13 Poker Flat chronicler Bret : HARTE
18 North Sea feeder : ELBE
23 Torso-twisting “spin” that has no effect on the ball : BODY ENGLISH
24 Dijon dad : PERE
25 Credit report item : DEBT
26 At any time : EVER
27 Home to Alley Oop : CAVE
28 Hit on the tush : SPANK
29 Invasive Asian vine : KUDZU
32 Toronto’s prov. : ONT
34 Delany of “Desperate Housewives” : DANA
35 Approved : OK’ED
36 Frees (of) : RIDS
38 Sounds at shearings : BAAS
42 Kin of a mesa : PLATEAU
44 Gets the frost off, as plane wings : DE-ICES
46 Prospector’s tool : PICK
47 “Get lost!” : SCRAM!
48 So, so small : TEENY
49 Portion out : ALLOT
52 Sluggers’ stats : RBIS
53 Milan money : EURO
54 Taproom orders : ALES
55 Strong lobby for seniors : AARP
56 Late time, in ads : NITE
57 Delighted : GLAD
60 Judy, to Liza : MOM