LA Times Crossword 29 Jul 22, Friday

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Constructed by: Emet Ozar & Matthew Stock
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Debug

Themed answers require the removal of a BUG (DEBUGGING) in order to agree with the corresponding clue:

  • 71A Work on software, and work to make sense of the answers to the starred clues? : DEBUG
  • 15A *Like sweater weather : CHANTILLY (-ANT = CHILLY)
  • 23A *Spanish verb similar to the French “être” : SMOTHER (-MOTH = SER)
  • 29A *Soft drink size : LITE BEER (-BEE = LITER)
  • 48A *River through Kazakhstan : G-NATURAL (-GNAT = URAL)
  • 53A *Top : LIMITED (-MITE = LID)
  • 67A *Cherry variety : BROACHING (-ROACH = BING)

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

Bill’s time: 8m 47s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Cheap kegful : PABST

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.

6 Seal hunter : ORCA

The taxonomic name for the killer whale is “Orcinus orca”. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

10 Title for Horatio Magellan Crunch : CAP’N

The first Cap’n Crunch commercials aired in 1963, at the time the product line was launched. The Cap’n’s full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch, would you believe? Crunch’s voice was provided for many years by Daws Butler, the same voice actor who gave us Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. Cap’n Crunch is commander of the S.S. Guppy.

15 *Like sweater weather : CHANTILLY (-ANT = CHILLY)

Chantilly is a town located just 24 miles from the center of Paris. The town gave its name to Chantilly cream and Chantilly lace.

17 __ cut : PIXIE

The pixie cut is a hairstyle that is relatively short at the back and sides compared to the top. Famous examples of women wearing the cut are Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday”, Twiggy for much of the 1960s, Goldie Hawn on “Laugh-In” and Halle Berry in the Bond film “Die Another Day”.

18 Question that may elicit “Todo bien, gracias” : COMO ESTAS?

In Spanish, one might answer the question “Cómo estas?” (How are you?) with “Todo bien, gracias” (All good, thanks).

19 “Must you be like everyone else?” : ET TU?

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (meaning “And you, Brutus?”). They appear in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life (if anything at all) as he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

21 __ card : SIM

Most cell phones have SIM cards these days. SIM cards hold the personal information of the subscriber, with the acronym being short for “Subscriber Identity Module”.

23 *Spanish verb similar to the French “être” : SMOTHER (-MOTH = SER)

The verb “to be” is “ser” in Spanish and “être” in French.

26 “Latino USA” airer : NPR

“Latino USA” is a radio show distributed nationally by NPR since 1992. It was groundbreaking in its early days, as it was a national radio show that was Latino-oriented, but broadcast in English. Today, it is the longest-running Latino-focused program on radio.

29 *Soft drink size : LITE BEER (-BEE = LITER)

On the other side of the Atlantic we use the French spelling for measurements that originated in French, so “metre” for “meter” and “litre” for “liter”.

34 Sandwich not found in a kosher deli : BLT

The BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) is the second-most popular sandwich in the US, after the plain old ham sandwich.

37 One of India’s official languages : HINDI

Hindi is one of the two official languages of India, along with English. Hindi is the fourth most-spoken first language in the world (after Mandarin, Spanish and English).

38 Footnote abbr. : ET AL

“Et alii” (et al.) is the equivalent of “et cetera” (etc.), with “et cetera” being used in place of a list of objects, and “et alii” used for a list of names.

40 Rock collection? : ALBUM

The Latin word “album” translates as “white”. Back in the 17th century, public notices and lists of names were written on a board painted white, or in a souvenir book with white pages known as an “albo” (from “album”). Over time, the term “album” came to be used in English for a blank book created to collect signatures or other mementos. By the end of the 19th century, albums were used to collect photographs. The term “album” was applied to long-playing gramophone records in the early 1950s, because the record sleeves resembled large photographic albums.

45 Rink ploys : DEKES

A deke, also known as a dangle, is a technique used to get past an opponent in ice hockey. “Deke” is a colloquial shortening of the word “decoy”.

47 PC pioneer : IBM

The original IBM Personal Computer is model number 5150, which was introduced to the world on August 12, 1981. The term “personal computer” was already in use, but the success of the IBM 5150 led to the term “PC” being used for all computer products compatible with the IBM platform.

48 *River through Kazakhstan : G-NATURAL (-GNAT = URAL)

The Ural River rises in the Ural Mountains in Russia and flows for half its length through Russian territory until it crosses the border into Kazakhstan, finally emptying into the Caspian Sea. It is the third-longest river in Europe, after the Volga and Danube. The Ural is often cited as defining a long stretch of the border between Europe and Asia, although the exact position of that border is open to debate.

The Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia is the world’s largest landlocked country. Kazakhstan was also the last of the former Soviet Republics (SSRs) to declare itself independent from Russia.

50 Roughhouse : RASSLE

“Rassle” is a slang word meaning “wrestle”.

52 “Real talk,” from a texter : TBH

To be honest (TBH)

60 Sacred Buddhist symbol with heart-shaped leaves : BODHI TREE

The Bodhi Tree is a sacred fig tree in the Indian state of Bihar in the northeast of the country. It is venerated as the tree under which the Buddha was sitting when he attained enlightenment. The name of the tree translates into English as “Tree of Awakening”.

63 Gulf ship : OILER

An oiler is an oil tanker, an ocean-going vessel used to transport crude oil.

67 *Cherry variety : BROACHING (-ROACH = BING)

The bing cherry is the most widely grown sweet cherry in the US. The cultivar was created in Oregon in 1875 by Seth Lewelling. Lewelling was a horticulturist, and he named the cherry for his Chinese foreman Ah Bing.

68 Petting zoo critter : LLAMA

The llama is a camelid mammal very much associated with the Andean cultures. Despite the association with South America, it is thought that the ancestors of the modern llama migrated south from the Great Plains of North America about 40 million years ago.

71 Work on software, and work to make sense of the answers to the starred clues? : DEBUG

Back in 1947, famed computer programmer Grace Hopper noticed some colleagues fixing a piece of equipment by removing a dead moth from a relay. She remarked that they were “debugging” the system, and so Hopper has been given credit for popularizing the term “bug” in the context of computing.

Down

1 Spot on a die : PIP

A pip is a dot on a die or a domino, or a mark on a playing card.

2 Pacific tuna : AHI

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

4 Jordan who won the 2017 British Open : SPIETH

Jordan Spieth is a golfer from Dallas who made a name for himself in 2015 by becoming the second-youngest person to win the Masters, with only Tiger Woods being younger.

The winner of the Open (aka “British Open”) golf tournament has been awarded a trophy known as the Claret Jug since 1872. The prior award was known as the Challenge Belt, but it had to be replaced when it was presented permanently to Scottish golfer Young Tom Morris after he won the Open three years in a row.

5 Raised canines, say : TEETHED

The canine teeth of a mammal are also called the eyeteeth or cuspids. The name “canine” is used because these particular teeth are very prominent in dogs. The prefix “eye-” is used because in humans the eyeteeth are located in the upper jaw, directly below the eyes.

7 Density symbol, in physics : RHO

Rho is the symbol used for density, i.e. mass/volume.

8 Nanny __: security devices : CAMS

From what I’ve read, it is legal to record video with a hidden camera, at least to monitor the behavior of a caregiver in your home. Apparently there is also a law that prohibits the recording of audio. So, “nanny cams” are sold without audio capability. But (disclaimer) that’s just what I read, so don’t take my word for it!

10 Gender prefix : CIS-

The term “cisgender” is used as the opposite of “transgender”. Cisgender people have a gender identity that matches the sex they were assigned at birth.

11 Type of flute : ALTO

A flute is a woodwind instrument that doesn’t have a reed. Instead, sound is produced by blowing air across an opening. A flute player is often referred to as a flautist (sometimes “flutist”). Flutes have been around a long, long time. Primitive flutes found in modern-day Germany date back 43,000 to 35,000 years, which makes the flute the oldest known musical instrument.

13 SEC concern : NYSE

The roots of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) go back to 1792 when a group of 24 stock brokers set up the New York Stock & Exchange Board. They did so in an agreement signed under a buttonwood tree outside 68 Wall Street. That document became known as the Buttonwood Agreement. Today, the NYSE is located in a National Historic Landmark building with the address 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was established by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and has primary responsibility for enforcing federal securities law. The first chairman of the SEC was Joe Kennedy, father of future president John F. Kennedy.

16 Vegan protein choice : TEMPEH

Tempeh is a soy product that originated in Indonesia. It is made from soybeans that have been partly cooked and fermented. I’ve had quite a bit of tempeh used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes. It doesn’t have an appealing texture to me, so I’m not a fan …

23 Actress Jean of French New Wave cinema : SEBERG

Actress Jean Seberg was born in Iowa, but spent half of her life living and working in France. Her first film role was playing Joan of Arc in 1957’s “Saint Joan”, directed by Otto Preminger. Seberg became the target of an FBI operation ordered by J. Edgar Hoover as she was a very visible supporter of the Black Panther Party. Seberg committed suicide in 1979, at which time her husband cited the FBI’s harassment as the reason for her depression.

24 __ Bradley : MILTON

The board game manufacturer Milton Bradley was founded in 1860 by entrepreneur Milton Bradley. His company’s first offering to the market was the Checkered Game of Life, which eventually became the Game of Life (often just “Life”). Other Milton Bradley games are Candy Land, Operation and Battleship.

25 Home of the Senators : OTTAWA

The Senators are the NHL hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada. The current team, founded in the 1992-93 season, is the second NHL team in the city to use the name “Senators”. The original team was founded in 1917, and had a very successful run until the league expanded into the US in the late twenties. The cost of operating in what became the smallest NHL city eventually drove the Senators to St. Louis where they played for a year as the Eagles before finally folding.

27 Clutch hitter’s stat : RBIS

Runs batted in (RBIs)

A clutch player is someone who comes through in the clutch, who performs well at a critical moment in the game.

29 Smear with ink? : LIBEL

The word “libel” describes a published or written statement likely to harm a person’s reputation. It comes into English from the Latin “libellus”, the word for a small book. Back in the 1500s, libel was just a formal written statement, with the more damaging association arising in the 1600s. The related concept of slander is defamation in a transient form, such as speech, sign language or gestures.

30 Arctic native : INUK

The Inuit people live in the Arctic, in parts of the US, Russia, Greenland and Canada. A member of the Inuit people is known as an “Inuk”.

33 Horn-__ glasses : RIMMED

The rims of a pair of eyeglasses are the round pieces at either side of the bridge into which the lenses are placed (as in “horn-rimmed glasses”).

36 Director of the final episode of “M*A*S*H” : ALDA

The final episode of the TV show “M*A*S*H” had a running time of 2½ hours, making it a “TV movie”. It was a much-anticipated event, and CBS capitalized on the anticipated viewing numbers. 30-second commercial blocks sold for a higher price than equivalent slots during that year’s (1983) Super Bowl.

39 Baltic native : LETT

Latvia is one of the former Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs). People from Latvia are called Letts.

The natives of modern day Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are sometimes referred to as Balts, a reference to the Baltic Sea on which the three countries lie. The term “Balt” is also used for someone who speaks one of the Baltic languages, a group of languages spoken by people mainly residing within the borders of Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in some immigrant communities around the world.

44 Guide for grading : RUBRIC

In Medieval illuminated manuscripts, sections of text that are highlighted in red ink are known as rubrics. Often a rubric would be seen at the top of a page, and we tend to use the term “rubric” for a title or a name. “Rubric” comes from the Latin “rubrica”, the red ocher used in making the red pigment used in ink. “Rubric” has evolved to mean an authoritative rule or direction.

49 Blues partner : RHYTHM

The term “rhythm and blues” was originally used in the 1940s to describe a genre of music that was popular with African Americans at that time. The first use of “rhythm and blues” as a name for this music was in “Billboard” magazine in 1948.

51 Literary device : SIMILE

A simile is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things that are unalike. For example, a person might be described as “cute as a kitten” or as “busy as a bee”.

53 Feudal lord : LIEGE

A liege was a feudal lord, one to whom service or allegiance was owed under feudal law. “Liege” was also the term used for one who owed allegiance or service to a lord. Apparently the term is influenced by the Latin verb “ligare” meaning “to tie, bind”. So, I guess both lord and servant were “bound” to each other.

55 Trail mix : GORP

“Gorp” is a name sometimes used for trail mix, particularly by hikers. It’s not really known for sure how this name came about, but some say it stands for “good old raisins and peanuts” or perhaps “gobs of raw protein”.

56 Compost bin emanation : ODOR

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter to make the soil conditioner known as “compost”. The term “compost” ultimately comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “ponere” (to place). Compost is best made by “putting together” green waste that is rich in nitrogen, with brown waste that is rich in carbon, all in the presence of water and air.

58 Lake whose name comes from Iroquoian for “long tail” : ERIE

The Erie people lived on lands south of Lake Erie, in parts of the modern-day US states of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Erie were sometimes referred to as the Cat Nation, a reference to the mountain lions that were ever-present in the area that they lived. The name “Erie” is a shortened form of “Erielhonan” meaning “long tail”, possibly a further reference to the mountain lion or cat, which was possibly used as a totem. The Erie people gave their name to the Great Lake.

61 Part of a stable diet : HAY

Hay is dried grass that is stored for use as animal fodder. Straw consists of the dried stalks of cereal plants, the residue left after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw can also be used as animal fodder, as well as fuel, bedding and thatch.

62 Thyroid specialist, for short : ENT

Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)

The thyroid gland is found in the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. The gland produces several thyroid hormones, some of which control the rate at which the body uses energy i.e. the body’s rate of metabolism.

64 Where lots of cultures come together : LAB

Our term “laboratory”, often shortened to “lab”, comes from the Medieval Latin word “laboratorium” meaning “place for labor, work”. This in turn comes from the Latin verb “laborare” meaning “to work”.

65 Aussie bird : EMU

The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Cheap kegful : PABST
6 Seal hunter : ORCA
10 Title for Horatio Magellan Crunch : CAP’N
14 “With any luck” : I HOPE
15 *Like sweater weather : CHANTILLY (-ANT = CHILLY)
17 __ cut : PIXIE
18 Question that may elicit “Todo bien, gracias” : COMO ESTAS?
19 “Must you be like everyone else?” : ET TU?
21 __ card : SIM
22 Four quarters : ONE
23 *Spanish verb similar to the French “être” : SMOTHER (-MOTH = SER)
26 “Latino USA” airer : NPR
28 Choice word : EITHER
29 *Soft drink size : LITE BEER (-BEE = LITER)
34 Sandwich not found in a kosher deli : BLT
35 Sap : DRAIN
37 One of India’s official languages : HINDI
38 Footnote abbr. : ET AL
40 Rock collection? : ALBUM
42 Slender : SLIM
43 Crew member : ROWER
45 Rink ploys : DEKES
47 PC pioneer : IBM
48 *River through Kazakhstan : G-NATURAL (-GNAT = URAL)
50 Roughhouse : RASSLE
52 “Real talk,” from a texter : TBH
53 *Top : LIMITED (-MITE = LID)
54 “It’s all about me” attitude : EGO
57 Deli slice : RYE
59 Article : ITEM
60 Sacred Buddhist symbol with heart-shaped leaves : BODHI TREE
63 Gulf ship : OILER
67 *Cherry variety : BROACHING (-ROACH = BING)
68 Petting zoo critter : LLAMA
69 Light-footed : SPRY
70 Dole (out) : METE
71 Work on software, and work to make sense of the answers to the starred clues? : DEBUG

Down

1 Spot on a die : PIP
2 Pacific tuna : AHI
3 Check point? : BOX
4 Jordan who won the 2017 British Open : SPIETH
5 Raised canines, say : TEETHED
6 Transpire : OCCUR
7 Density symbol, in physics : RHO
8 Nanny __: security devices : CAMS
9 Formally choose : ANOINT
10 Gender prefix : CIS-
11 Type of flute : ALTO
12 Think ahead : PLAN
13 SEC concern : NYSE
16 Vegan protein choice : TEMPEH
20 Veggie chip brand : TERRA
23 Actress Jean of French New Wave cinema : SEBERG
24 __ Bradley : MILTON
25 Home of the Senators : OTTAWA
27 Clutch hitter’s stat : RBIS
29 Smear with ink? : LIBEL
30 Arctic native : INUK
31 Join up : ENLIST
32 Consumer-friendly? : EDIBLE
33 Horn-__ glasses : RIMMED
36 Director of the final episode of “M*A*S*H” : ALDA
39 Baltic native : LETT
41 __ badge : MERIT
44 Guide for grading : RUBRIC
46 “The usual” : SAME OLD
49 Blues partner : RHYTHM
51 Literary device : SIMILE
53 Feudal lord : LIEGE
54 Dwindles : EBBS
55 Trail mix : GORP
56 Compost bin emanation : ODOR
58 Lake whose name comes from Iroquoian for “long tail” : ERIE
61 Part of a stable diet : HAY
62 Thyroid specialist, for short : ENT
64 Where lots of cultures come together : LAB
65 Aussie bird : EMU
66 Dust cloth : RAG