LA Times Crossword 13 Sep 22, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Jerry Edelstein
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Half and Half

Themed answers each comprise two words, both of which can follow “HALF”:

  • 61A Coffee creamer option, or what can precede both parts of the answers to the starred clues : HALF AND HALF
  • 16A *Sibling by marriage : STEPBROTHER (“half step” & “half brother”)
  • 23A *Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Barry Jenkins : MOONLIGHT (“half-moon” & “half-light”)
  • 29A *Wee : PINTSIZE (“half-pint” & “half size”)
  • 43A *Lengthy warranty period : LIFETIME (“half-life” & “halftime”)
  • 50A *Retrace one’s steps : BACKTRACK (“halfback” & “half-track”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Candy __ Saga: match-three game app : CRUSH

“Candy Crush Saga” is an “app” version of the browser video game “Candy Crush”. Apparently it is very, very popular. Not with me, though …

13 Org. with a Women’s Rights Project : ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War. It grew out of the National Civil Liberties Bureau (CLB) that was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

14 Small cap : BEANIE

A beanie is a knitted, close-fitting hat with no brim. The name probably comes from the slang term “bean” meaning “head”.

19 Can opener : POP TAB

The term “pop top” refers to a whole family of designs for opening the top of a soda can. The oldest method is the “pull tab” or “ring pull”, invented in Canada in 1956. The design was long-lived, but it had its problems, so the world heaved a sigh of relief with the invention of the stay-on-tab in 1975. The new design led to less injuries and eliminated all those used pull tabs that littered the streets.

23 *Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Barry Jenkins : MOONLIGHT (“half-moon” & “half-light”)

“Moonlight” is a 2016 semi-autobiographical film based on an unpublished play by Tarell Alvin McCraney titled “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue”. “Moonlight” won the season’s Best Picture Oscar, thus becoming the first film to do so with an all-black cast, and the first with an LGBT storyline.

Filmmaker Barry Jenkins started his career as a director in 2003, and directed his first feature in 2008. He walked away from directing for eight years, and made his return as director of the hit film “Moonlight” in 2016. “Moonlight” won that season’s Oscar for Best Picture, making Jenkins only the second black person to direct a Best Picture winner (following Steve McQueen, who directed 2013’s “12 Years a Slave”).

The phases of the moon have been given the following names, in order:

  • New moon
  • Waxing crescent moon
  • First quarter moon
  • Waxing gibbous moon
  • Full moon
  • Waning gibbous moon
  • Third quarter moon
  • Waning crescent moon
  • Dark moon

25 Fictional wolf’s disguise : GRANDMA

“Little Red Riding Hood” is a fairy tale that originated in Europe and was first published in France by Charles Perrault in 1697. The title translates into French as “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge”.

28 “Get Smart” crime org. : KAOS

The satirical comedy series called “Get Smart” was the creation of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and starred Don Adams as Agent 86, Maxwell Smart. Agent 86 worked for the spy agency CONTROL, alongside the lovely Agent 99 (played by Barbara Feldon). CONTROL’s sworn enemy was the criminal organization called KAOS. Smart’s shoe phone was a hilarious prop used in almost every episode. When Smart dialed the number 117, the shoe converted into a gun. Cool stuff …

29 *Wee : PINT-SIZE (“half-pint” & “half size”)

A US pint comprises 16 fluid ounces, and an imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces. The term “pint” comes into English via Old French, ultimately from the Latin “picta” meaning “painted”. The name arose from a line painted on the side of a beer glass that marked a full measure of ale.

36 Video game princess : ZELDA

“The Legend of Zelda” is a video game. Apparently, it’s very successful …

39 Early ISP : AOL

AOL was a leading Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the 1980s and 1990s. The company does still provide dial-up access to the Internet for some subscribers, but most users now access AOL using faster, non-AOL ISPs.

43 *Lengthy warranty period : LIFETIME (“half-life” & “halftime”)

The half-life of a radioactive substance is the time it takes for half of the substance to “disappear” due to radioactive decay. So, if a radioactive element has a half-life of say 100 years, then in 100 years 50% of the element will have disappeared, but 50% still remains. In 500 years there will still be over 3% of the material left lying around. That’s one of the terrifying things about nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. The fallout and waste just don’t seem to go away …

50 *Retrace one’s steps : BACKTRACK (“halfback” & “half-track”)

A half-track is (usually) a military vehicle with wheels at the front and tracks at the back. In a sense, a half-track is like a hybrid of a truck and a tank. It handles more like a truck or car, and has the traction of a tank.

54 Fin. neighbor : RUS

The international border between Finland and Russia runs about 830 miles in a north-south direction. Largely as a consequence of the length of this border, Finland issues more visas to Russians than any other EU nation. Well, that was until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 …

55 Mid-month date : IDES

There were three important days in each month of the old Roman calendar. These days originally depended on the cycles of the moon but were eventually “fixed” by law. “Kalendae” were the first days of each month, originally the days of the new moon. “Nonae” were originally the days of the half moon. And “idus” (the ides) was originally the day of the full moon, eventually fixed at the 15th day of a month. Actually, the ides were the 15th day of March, May, July and October. For all other months, the ides fell on the 13th. Go figure …

56 “__-ching!” : CHA

The interjection “cha-ching!” is used to celebrate a windfall, the unexpected reception of lots of money. The term is imitative of the sound made by a mechanical cash register when ringing up a transaction. “Cha-ching!” was popularized by the 1992 movie “Wayne’s World”. It was also used around the same time in a TV spot for Rally’s hamburgers that featured a young Seth Green.

60 __ & Perrins steak sauce : LEA

Sauce producer Lea & Perrins was founded way back in 1837, in the city of Worcester, England. The company’s most famous product is Worcestershire sauce, which was named for the county in which the condiment was first produced.

61 Coffee creamer option, or what can precede both parts of the answers to the starred clues : HALF AND HALF

Half and half is a dairy product consisting of half milk and half light cream.

63 Trains that rumble overhead : ELS

Elevated railroad (El)

64 “Murder on the __ Express” : ORIENT

1934’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is perhaps the most famous detective novel penned by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. Christie’s Belgian detective Hercule Poirot has to determine which of the passengers on the Orient Express train committed a murder. Spoiler alert: they all did …!

67 Raise a glass (to) : TOAST

The tradition of toasting someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

Down

1 Stinging insect : WASP

While wasps are considered a nuisance by many, they are very important to the agricultural industry. Wasps prey on many pest insects, while having very little impact on crops.

2 Prefix with -plasm : ECTO-

The endoplasm is the inner part of a cell’s cytoplasm, and the ectoplasm is the outer part.

3 Tusked animals : ELEPHANTS

The hard, white material called ivory has mainly been sourced from the tusks of elephants, although it can also be collected from the walrus, hippopotamus, killer whale, wart hog and others. The word “ivory” comes into English via Latin from the ancient Egyptian word for “elephant”.

4 Small camping shelter : PUP TENT

A pup tent is a small ridge tent, one meant for use by 2-3 people. The term “pup tent” has been around since the mid-1800s. A pup tent was sometimes called a dog tent.

7 Loosen, as a bra : UNHOOK

The word “brassière” is French in origin, but it isn’t the word that the French use for a “bra”. In France, what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the breast”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breastplate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

8 “Burnt” crayon color : SIENNA

The shade known as “sienna” or “burnt sienna” was originally a pigment made from earth found around Siena in Tuscany.

10 Parsley piece : SPRIG

In Britain and Ireland, parsley is listed as one of the four essential herbs. And those would be “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme”.

12 Bob who had a recurring role on “Fuller House” : SAGET

Bob Saget was a real enigma to me. He made a name for himself playing very sugary roles in TV shows like “Full House” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, and yet in the world of stand-up comedy Saget was known for very blue and raunchy routines.

“Full House” is a sitcom that originally aired from the late eighties through the mid-nineties. It’s all about two men helping a third man raise his three young daughters after his wife is killed by a drunk driver. Bob Saget plays the widowed father, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen play the youngest daughter. A sequel titled “Fuller House” started airing on Netflix in 2016.

14 Texter’s “Gimme a sec” : BRB

Be right back (brb)

21 Travel document : VISA

A visa is usually a stamp in one’s passport, an indication that one is authorized to enter (and less often, to exit) a particular country. The word “visa” comes into English, via French, from the Latin expression “charta visa” meaning “paper that has been seen”, or “verified paper”.

25 Honor roll figs. : GPAS

Grade point average (GPA)

26 Puerto __ : RICO

Puerto Rico (PR) is located in the northeastern Caribbean (in the Atlantic Ocean), east of the Dominican Republic. The name “Puerto Rico” is Spanish for “rich port”. The locals often call their island Borinquen, the Spanish form of “Boriken”, the original name used by the natives.

27 “Les __”: musical nickname : MIZ

The 1980 musical “Les Misérables” is an adaptation of the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The show opened in London in 1985, and is the longest running musical in the history of London’s West End. My wife and I saw “Les Miz” in the Queen’s Theatre in London many years ago, but were only able to get tickets in the very back row. The theater seating is very steep, so the back row of the balcony is extremely high over the stage. One of the big events in the storyline is the building of a street barricade over which the rebels fight. At the height we were seated we could see the stagehands behind the barricade, sitting drinking Coke, even smoking cigarettes. On cue, the stagehands would get up and catch a dropped rifle, or an actor who had been shot. It was pretty comical. I didn’t really enjoy the show that much, to be honest. Some great songs, but the musical version of the storyline just didn’t seem to hang together for me.

32 Equal chance : FAIR SHAKE

A fair shake is fair treatment, an equal chance. “Fair shake” is an Americanism that dates back at least to the 1830s, and probably originated with the shaking of dice.

33 Heavy book : TOME

“Tome” first came into English from the Latin “tomus” which means “section of a book”. The original usage in English was for a single volume in a multi-volume work. By the late 16th century, “tome” had come to mean “large book”.

34 Iditarod vehicle : SLED

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers an incredible 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. Finishing times range from over 8 days to 15 days or more. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

37 Floppy __ : DISK

I don’t think my kids really know what a floppy disk is. A floppy disk is made up of a thin and flexible magnetic material that can store data, enclosed in a protective case. I’ve used 8-inch floppies in my time, and many 5.25-inch floppy disks. Until fairly recently, I had a desktop that would take 3.5-inch disks, although I think the last 3.5-inch floppy disappeared from the house several years ago …

38 Toward a boat’s rudder : AFT

A rudder is usually a flat sheet of wood or metal located at the stern of a boat, and under the waterline. The rudder is attached to a rudder post, which rotates to change the orientation of the rudder hence steering the boat. That rotation of the rudder post can be achieved by pulling or pushing a lever called a tiller, which is located at the top of the post.

41 Boats like Noah’s : ARKS

The term “ark”, when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word “tebah”. The word “tebah” is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word “tebah” doesn’t mean “boat” and nor does it mean “basket”. Rather, a more appropriate translation is “life-preserver” or “life-saver”. So, Noah’s ark was Noah’s life-preserver during the flood.

42 “j” topper : DOT

A tittle is a small diacritical mark used in writing. Examples are the cedilla and tilde used in some languages, and the dot over the lowercase letters i and j in English.

44 Dog-__: folded at the corner : EARED

The folded-down corner of the page of a book, a temporary placeholder, is known as a “dog-ear”. I suppose that’s because it looks like the ear of a dog …

47 Hall of Fame jockey Eddie : ARCARO

Eddie Arcaro was a very successful jockey, the only rider to win the US Triple Crown twice. Arcaro also won more American classic races than any other jockey.

48 National flower of Mexico : DAHLIA

The dahlia is a flowering plant native to Mexico and Central America. It was named the national flower of Mexico relatively recently, in 1963. The plant was given the name “dahlia” in 1791, in honor of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.

50 Olympic gymnast Simone : BILES

Simone Biles holds the record for the most gold medals (4) won by an American gymnast in a single Olympic Games. She achieved the feat at the 2016 games held in Rio.

51 “Rolling in the Deep” singer : ADELE

“Rolling in the Deep” is a 2010 song by Adele that she released on her incredibly successful album “21”. The single was Adele’s first #1 in the US.

57 Demo stuff : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

58 Director Kazan : ELIA

Elia Kazan won Oscars for best director in 1948 for “Gentleman’s Agreement” and in 1955 for “On The Waterfront”. He was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when he was given the 1998 Academy Honorary Award citing his lifetime achievement in the industry. Kazan also directed “East of Eden”, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences, and “Splendor in the Grass” that included Warren Beatty in his debut role.

59 Country mail rtes. : RFDS

Rural Free Delivery (RFD) started in the US in 1891. Prior to RFD, rural Americans had to travel to the nearest post office to pick up their mail.

61 Like habanero peppers : HOT

The habanero chili has a very intense flavor. Interestingly, the correct spelling of the chili’s name is “habanero”. We often try to be clever in English and add a tilde making it “habañero”, which isn’t right at all …

62 Picnic pest : ANT

Our term “picnic” comes from the French word that now has the same meaning, namely “pique-nique”. The original “pique-nique” was a fashionable potluck affair, and not necessarily held outdoors.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Shed tears : WEEP
5 Candy __ Saga: match-three game app : CRUSH
10 Fourth-yr. students : SRS
13 Org. with a Women’s Rights Project : ACLU
14 Small cap : BEANIE
15 Split __ soup : PEA
16 *Sibling by marriage : STEPBROTHER (“half step” & “half brother”)
18 Old tee, perhaps : RAG
19 Can opener : POP TAB
20 “Am __ time?” : I ON
21 Bad habit : VICE
22 Barnyard bird : HEN
23 *Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Barry Jenkins : MOONLIGHT (“half-moon” & “half-light”)
25 Fictional wolf’s disguise : GRANDMA
28 “Get Smart” crime org. : KAOS
29 *Wee : PINT-SIZE (“half-pint” & “half size”)
31 Floats on the wind : WAFTS
35 Pretend : ACT
36 Video game princess : ZELDA
39 Early ISP : AOL
40 “Such a tragedy” : SO SAD
43 *Lengthy warranty period : LIFETIME (“half-life” & “halftime”)
46 __ hog : ROAD
49 Played the lead : STARRED
50 *Retrace one’s steps : BACKTRACK (“halfback” & “half-track”)
54 Fin. neighbor : RUS
55 Mid-month date : IDES
56 “__-ching!” : CHA
57 Leash : TETHER
60 __ & Perrins steak sauce : LEA
61 Coffee creamer option, or what can precede both parts of the answers to the starred clues : HALF AND HALF
63 Trains that rumble overhead : ELS
64 “Murder on the __ Express” : ORIENT
65 “Just teasing ya” : I KID
66 Match, in poker : SEE
67 Raise a glass (to) : TOAST
68 Salty expanses : SEAS

Down

1 Stinging insect : WASP
2 Prefix with -plasm : ECTO-
3 Tusked animals : ELEPHANTS
4 Small camping shelter : PUP TENT
5 VIP with a corner office, perhaps : CEO
6 Mathematical comparison : RATIO
7 Loosen, as a bra : UNHOOK
8 “Burnt” crayon color : SIENNA
9 That woman : HER
10 Parsley piece : SPRIG
11 Get through to : REACH
12 Bob who had a recurring role on “Fuller House” : SAGET
14 Texter’s “Gimme a sec” : BRB
17 Music groups : BANDS
21 Travel document : VISA
23 Pencil puzzle with dead ends : MAZE
24 Fan setting : LOW
25 Honor roll figs. : GPAS
26 Puerto __ : RICO
27 “Les __”: musical nickname : MIZ
30 Shape of some building additions : ELL
32 Equal chance : FAIR SHAKE
33 Heavy book : TOME
34 Iditarod vehicle : SLED
37 Floppy __ : DISK
38 Toward a boat’s rudder : AFT
41 Boats like Noah’s : ARKS
42 “j” topper : DOT
44 Dog-__: folded at the corner : EARED
45 “To be honest … ” : TRUTH IS …
47 Hall of Fame jockey Eddie : ARCARO
48 National flower of Mexico : DAHLIA
50 Olympic gymnast Simone : BILES
51 “Rolling in the Deep” singer : ADELE
52 Halt : CEASE
53 Sidewalk eateries : CAFES
57 Demo stuff : TNT
58 Director Kazan : ELIA
59 Country mail rtes. : RFDS
61 Like habanero peppers : HOT
62 Picnic pest : ANT