LA Times Crossword 5 Oct 19, Saturday

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Constructed by: Gail Grabowski
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 9m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Mirage sights? : CARD GAMES

When the Mirage Hotel opened in Las Vegas in 1989, it was the most expensive hotel built in history, costing $630 million. The building has distinctive gold windows that were colored using real gold dust.

15 Puccini’s Rodolfo, for one : OPERA ROLE

Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera “La bohème” tells of a love affair between a poor poet named Rodolfo, and an even poorer seamstress named Mimi. There isn’t a happy ending …

18 Singular : OUTRE

The word “outré” meaning “unconventional, bizarre” comes to us from French, as one might imagine. It is derived from the verb “outrer” meaning “to overdo, exaggerate”. “Outrer” is also the ultimate root of our word “outrage”.

19 Recipe word : ADD

The Latin “recipere” means “to take”, and the imperative form “recipe” was written at the top of medical prescriptions as an instruction, i.e. “take (the following)”. This use of “recipe” evolved into the instruction for preparing a dish of food in the mid-1700s.

24 Traditional Mesoamerican fare : TAMALE

A tamale is a traditional dish from Central America composed of a starchy dough that is steamed or boiled in a wrapper made from a corn husk or banana leaf. The dough is called masa, and can include many different ingredients including meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables.

Mesoamerica is a region extending from Central Mexico, south to Costa Rica. It is known as an area where societies flourished prior to the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries.

27 Name on the 1969 album “Clouds” : JONI

“Clouds” is a 1969 album released by Joni Mitchell. The most famous tracks on the album are “Chelsea Morning” and “Both Sides, Now”.

31 Former NHL forward Tikkanen : ESA

Esa Tikkanen is a retired hockey player from Finland. He was on the winning team in five Stanley Cup finals, between 1985 to 1994.

34 Bit of power : WATT

James Watt was a Scottish inventor. He figured prominently in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, largely due to the improvements he made to the fledgling steam engine. The SI unit of power is called the watt, and was named in his honor.

35 Green of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” : EVA

Despite the English-sounding name, Eva Green is a French actress. Green played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the 2006 movie “Casino Royale” opposite Daniel Craig.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is a 2016 film based on a 2011 novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs. The movie was directed by Tim Burton. I don’t do Tim Burton …

38 __ Aviv : TEL

The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. “Tel Aviv” translates into “Spring Mound”, and is a name that was chosen in 1910.

45 Oregon’s highest mountain : HOOD

Mount Hood is a volcanic peak in northern Oregon. It is the highest peak in the state, and is located about 50 miles southeast of Portland. There are six ski areas on the mountain, including a resort called Timberline that has North America’s only lift that operates year-round for skiing.

46 Org. with Eagles : BSA

The rank of Eagle Scout was introduced by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 1911. A candidate for Eagle Scout must have first earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, and demonstrate leadership skills and embrace Scout Spirit. Prior to 1911, the highest rank attainable in the BSA was Wolf Scout.

50 Listen : LEND AN EAR

To lend an ear is to listen. The phrase “lend an ear”, like so many phrases, was coined by the Bard. There is a famous speech made by Mark Antony in William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” that starts with:

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar.

54 Load with jeans, say : DARKS

That would be a load of laundry …

55 They don’t sting : DRONE BEES

Drone bees and drone ants are fertile males of the species whose sole role in life seems to be to mate with a queen.

Down

1 Cuba libre ingredient : COLA

The cocktail known as a Cuba libre is basically a rum and Coke, although the traditional recipe also calls for a splash of lime juice.

3 Like many Fla. residents : RETD

Retired (“ret.” or “retd.”)

What we know as the US state of Florida, was named by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who led the first Europeans to the area in 1513. The actual name he used was “La Florida”, Spanish for “the Flowery (Land)”.

5 Thelma and Louise, e.g. : GAL PALS

“Thelma and Louise” is a much-respected 1991 movie starring Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise. Brad Pitt has a supporting role, and indeed “Thelma and Louise” was the film that gave Pitt his big break.

7 “Wuthering Heights” scenery : MOORS

“Wuthering Heights” is the only novel written by Emily Brontë, and one that she published using the pen name Ellis Bell. “Wuthering Heights” was published in December of 1847, a date chosen to take advantage of the wave of success enjoyed by Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” that had been published just two months earlier.

13 Ship’s deck sometimes reduced to six letters : FORECASTLE

FORECASTLE

14 It’s in ice caps and ice sheets : FRESH WATER

The polar ice cap at the north of our planet is floating pack ice in the Arctic Ocean. The southern polar ice cap is an ice sheet that covers the landmass known as Antarctica. About 70% of all the freshwater on Earth is held in the southern polar ice cap.

22 Giraffe feature : MANE

The giraffe is the tallest terrestrial animal on the planet. The giraffe’s main source of food is acacia leaves that they eat from high, high up in trees, where other herbivores cannot reach.

25 Fictional detective often seen wearing an open aloha shirt : ACE VENTURA

Ace Ventura was the title character in two movies, i.e. “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (1994) and “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” (1995). In both films, the title role is played by Jim Carrey.

27 Cooler : JOINT

The cooler, the pen, the joint, the slammer, the can … the prison.

30 Decorative fabric : TOILE

Toile fabric can be used as upholstery, as wallpaper, or even as a fabric for clothing. The name “toile” comes from the French word for “canvas, linen cloth”.

33 Rights org. since 1909 : NAACP

The full name of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is remarkable in that it actually still uses the offensive term “colored people”. The NAACP was founded in 1909, by a group that included suffragette and journalist Mary White Ovington, wealthy socialist William English Walling, and civil rights activist Henry Moskowitz. Another member of the founding group was W. E. B. Du Bois, the first African-American to earn a doctorate at Harvard University. The date chosen for the founding of the NAACP was February 12th, 1909, the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, the man most visibly associated with the emancipation of African-American slaves.

42 Eponymous vacuum brand : ORECK

The Oreck Corporation is named after founder David Oreck and makes vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. The company started out selling vacuum cleaners by mail, a new concept in 1963. David Oreck himself appears regularly as a spokesman in the company’s ads and infomercials.

43 Many a time-share : CONDO

The terms “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the same type of residential property, namely a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com-” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

46 Tiny tot, in Toledo : BEBE

Toledo is a city in central Spain that is located just over 40 miles south of the capital Madrid. Toledo is sometimes called the “City of Three Cultures”, due to the historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions.

48 Combative deity : ARES

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

50 Part of LLC: Abbr. : LTD

A limited liability company (LLC) has a structure that limits the liability of the owner or owners. It is a hybrid structure in the sense that it can be taxed as would an individual or partnership, while also maintaining the liability protection afforded to a corporation.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Mirage sights? : CARD GAMES
10 Hint : WHIFF
15 Puccini’s Rodolfo, for one : OPERA ROLE
16 Word with society or system : HONOR …
17 Parties like there’s no tomorrow : LETS LOOSE
18 Singular : OUTRE
19 Recipe word : ADD
20 Utter : PURE
21 Serves, with “out” : DISHES …
22 Considerable number : MASS
23 Implore : BESEECH
24 Traditional Mesoamerican fare : TAMALE
27 Name on the 1969 album “Clouds” : JONI
28 One may be purposely broken : LAW
29 Program access aids : ICONS
30 Pop-up fare : TOAST
31 Former NHL forward Tikkanen : ESA
32 Nothing more than : MERE
33 City ordinance subject : NOISE
34 Bit of power : WATT
35 Green of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” : EVA
36 Contaminate : TAINT
37 Word in a marriage metaphor : AISLE
38 __ Aviv : TEL
39 Restraining order : HALT
40 __ storm : WINTER
41 Require compliance with : ENFORCE
43 Woven line : CORD
44 Provoke : STIR UP
45 Oregon’s highest mountain : HOOD
46 Org. with Eagles : BSA
49 Squeezable holders : TUBES
50 Listen : LEND AN EAR
52 Upstanding : ERECT
53 Regular beach walker’s resource : TIDE TABLE
54 Load with jeans, say : DARKS
55 They don’t sting : DRONE BEES

Down

1 Cuba libre ingredient : COLA
2 Behaved like : APED
3 Like many Fla. residents : RETD
4 Ones often working in small rms. : DRS
5 Thelma and Louise, e.g. : GAL PALS
6 Turn on : AROUSE
7 “Wuthering Heights” scenery : MOORS
8 Apart from this : ELSE
9 Make out : SEE
10 Response to a bell : WHO IS IT?
11 __ wine : HOUSE
12 At all : IN THE LEAST
13 Ship’s deck sometimes reduced to six letters : FORECASTLE
14 It’s in ice caps and ice sheets : FRESH WATER
21 Like urban population : DENSE
22 Giraffe feature : MANE
23 Talk a good game : BOAST
24 Borne out long-term : TIME-TESTED
25 Fictional detective often seen wearing an open aloha shirt : ACE VENTURA
26 Strength of character : MORAL FIBER
27 Cooler : JOINT
30 Decorative fabric : TOILE
33 Rights org. since 1909 : NAACP
34 Leaf blower : WIND
36 Fencing maneuvers : THRUSTS
37 Show time : AIR DATE
40 Stiff : WOODEN
42 Eponymous vacuum brand : ORECK
43 Many a time-share : CONDO
45 Next in line : HEIR
46 Tiny tot, in Toledo : BEBE
47 Commission source : SALE
48 Combative deity : ARES
50 Part of LLC: Abbr. : LTD
51 Pick up : NAB