LA Times Crossword 3 Sep 20, Thursday

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Constructed by: David Poole
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Band On The Run

Themed answers are the names of BANDS. Each is located in the grid ON a synonym of RUN:

  • 55A 1973 triple-platinum album by Wings … and what each of three answers to starred clues is, literally : BAND ON THE RUN
  • 19A *Wizard revealer : TOTO
  • 20A Classic 1779 hymn : AMAZING GRACE (“Toto” on the “race”)
  • 28A *Electrically flexible : AC/DC
  • 33A “The Thin Man” author Hammett : DASHIELL (“AC/DC” on the “dash”)
  • 40A *Aerie nesters : EAGLES
  • 42A Proofer’s find : MISPRINT (“Eagles” on the “sprint”)

Bill’s time: 7m 07s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Starbucks rival owned by a fast-food chain : MCCAFE

McCafé is a chain of coffeehouses owned by McDonald’s. The first McCafé was opened by a McDonald’s franchisee in Australia, after which the company took the concept worldwide. McCafé is the most successful coffee shop brand in Australia and New Zealand.

7 Josh of “Frozen” : GAD

In the 2013 animated film “Frozen”, Olaf is a happy-go-lucky snowman who provides a lot of comic relief in the movie. Olaf is voiced by actor and comedian Josh Gad.

Josh Gad is an actor and comedian who was born in Hollywood, although that would be Hollywood, Florida. Gads big break came on the stage, when he originated the role of Elder Cunningham in “The Book of Mormon”. On the big screen Gad played Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak in “Jobs” and Hector McQueen in the 2017 adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express”. Famously, Gad also voiced Olaf in the “Frozen” films.

16 Cookie shaped like two of its letters : OREO

How the Oreo cookie came to get its name seems to have been lost in the mists of time. One theory is that it comes from the French “or” meaning “gold”, a reference to the gold color of the original packing. Another suggestion is that the name is the Greek word “oreo” meaning “beautiful, nice, well-done”.

19 *Wizard revealer : TOTO

Towards the end of the movie “The Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy’s little dog Toto pulls back a green curtain to reveal the true identity of the Wizard.

Toto is an American rock band dating back to 1977. As well as their big hit “Rosanna”, Toto also sang another good tune titled “Africa”.

20 Classic 1779 hymn : AMAZING GRACE

“Amazing Grace” is a very, very famous hymn, with words written by John Newton in 1779. The words have been set to a number of different melodies, and what we are used to hearing today is music from a tune called “New Britain”.

Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
T’was blind but now I see

23 Rock’s __ Fighters : FOO

Foo Fighters are described as an alternative rock band, one formed in 1994 by the drummer from Nirvana, Dave Grohl. The term “foo fighters” originally applied to unidentified flying objects reported by allied airmen during WWII. Spooky …

26 Lassitude : INERTIA

Languor, lassitude, lethargy and listlessness are such lovely words. All are L-words meaning a lack of physical energy.

27 Dale’s guy : ROY

Cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers’ real name was Leonard Franklin Slye, and his nickname was “King of the Cowboys”. Roy Rogers married Dale Evans in 1947. Evans’ nickname was “Queen of the West”.

28 *Electrically flexible : AC/DC

Anyone with a laptop with an external power supply has an AC/DC converter, that big “block” in the power cord. It converts the AC current from a wall socket into the DC current that is used by the laptop.

The Heavy Metal band known as AC/DC was formed by two brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in Australia. The group is usually called “Acca Dacca” down under.

30 “The Jungle Book” python : KAA

Kaa is the python character in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”. In the classic Disney animated adaptation, Kaa was voiced by Sterling Holloway, the same actor who originally voice Walt Disney’s Winnie the Pooh.

“The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling was originally published in 1894, and is a collection of adventure stories or fables featuring the animals of the jungle and a young boy named Mowgli. Baloo is a sloth bear that teaches the cubs of a wolf pack the Law of the Jungle. Baloo’s most challenging pupil however is no lupine, but rather the man-cub Mowgli.

31 Flight safety org. : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

33 “The Thin Man” author Hammett : DASHIELL

Dashiell Hammett was an American author known for his detective fiction. Hammett was the creator of such enduring characters as Sam Spade from “The Maltese Falcon” as well as Nick and Nora Charles from “The Thin Man”. Outside of writing, Hammett was also politically active and served as the president of a group the Civil Rights Congress (CRC) after WWII. The CRC was deemed to be a Communist front group and was listed as a subversive organization by the US government. At one point, he even served time in jail for contempt of court, after refusing to answer some questions in a trial in which the CRC was involved.

“The Thin Man” is a detective novel written by Dashiell Hammett that was first published in the magazine “Redbook” in 1934. Hammett never wrote a sequel to his story, but it spawned a wonderful, wonderful series of “The Thin Man” films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy (as Nick and Nora Charles). “The Thin Man” was the last novel that Hammett wrote.

35 20 fins : C-NOTE

“C-note” and “C-spot” are slang terms for “$100 bill”.

The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Abraham Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

39 Plaza Hotel girl : ELOISE

Kay Thompson wrote the “Eloise” series of children’s books. Kay Thompson actually lived at the Plaza Hotel in New York, the setting she would choose for her “Eloise” stories. Eloise started out as a hit song for Thompson, a success that she parlayed into the book franchise.

The celebrated Plaza Hotel in New York City is named for Grand Army Plaza, which faces the hotel’s main entrance on Fifth Avenue.

40 *Aerie nesters : EAGLES

An aerie is an eagle’s nest, and is also known as an “eyrie”. The term “aerie” more generally describes any bird’s nest that is located on a cliff or a mountaintop.

The Eagles band formed in 1971, with the founding members being Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. Frey and Henley were hired as session musicians by Linda Ronstadt. The four then played live together backing Ronstadt in a gig at Disneyland in 1971, and recorded their debut album together in England the following year.

41 Red-and-white suit wearer : SANTA

The Santa Claus with whom we are familiar today largely comes from the description in the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, and from the 1863 caricature created by the political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Nast is also responsible for locating Santa’s workshop at the North Magnetic Pole, a fact that he revealed to the world in a series of drawings in 1879.

44 “Sammy the Seal” writer Hoff : SYD

Syd Hoff wrote the children’s readers “Danny and the Dinosaur” and “Sammy the Seal”. Hoff also drew two syndicated comic strips, “Tuffy” (1939-1949) and “Laugh It Off” (1958-1978).

46 World games org. : IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894, and has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

47 Coupling device : YOKE

A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of animals so that they are forced to work together.

51 Weeks in Oaxaca : SEMANAS

Oaxaca (officially “Oaxaca de Juárez”) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, which is located in the south of the country.

54 Old atlas abbr. : SSR

The former Soviet Union (officially “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, i.e. USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and comprised fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

55 1973 triple-platinum album by Wings … and what each of three answers to starred clues is, literally : BAND ON THE RUN

“Band on the Run” is a marvelous 1973 album released by Paul McCartney and Wings. McCartney decided to record the album in an exotic locale, and opted for Lagos, Nigeria. He lost the original demo tapes when he was robbed at knife-point in Lagos, and so had to re-record the tracks from memory. Compounding the difficulties in producing the album, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough had quit the band just prior to Lagos recording sessions. As a result, McCartney provided the lead guitar and drum tracks himself, in addition to lead vocals and bass guitar.

59 Tijuana aunt : TIA

Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.

60 Titans : GIANTS

The Titans were a group of twelve older deities in Greek mythology, the twelve children of the primordial Gaia and Uranus, Mother Earth and Father Sky. In the celebrated Battle of the Titans, they were overthrown by the Olympians, who were twelve younger gods. We use the term “titan” figuratively to describe a powerful person, someone with great influence.

64 Bow-toting god : EROS

As always seems to be the case with Greek gods, Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, and Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male. The Roman equivalent of Aphrodite was Venus, and the equivalent of Eros was Cupid.

65 USN VIP : ADM

Admiral (adm.)

66 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.

67 Center of N.Y.C.? : YORK

The city of New Amsterdam was taken over by the English from the Dutch in 1664. the city was promptly renamed to “New York” in honor of the Duke of York, who was destined to become King James II of England.

68 Escape : LAM

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

69 Disc golf starting point : TEEPAD

Disc golf is also known as Frisbee golf, and sometimes even Frolf. Believe it or not, disc golf predates the introduction of the Frisbee. The first game was played at a school in Bladworth, Saskatchewan in 1926. The participating schoolkids threw tin lids into circles drawn on a course they created in the school grounds. They named the game “Tin Lid Golf”.

Down

1 Hosp. test in a tube : MRI

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.

2 Hanna-Barbera collectible : CEL

In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.

William Hanna was an animator who is best known for his collaborations with Joseph Barbera. After creating “Tom and Jerry” for MGM, the partners founded the Hanna Barbera studio that produced such classics as “The Flintstones”, “The Huckleberry Hound Show”, “The Jetsons”, “Scooby-Doo”, “The Smurfs” and “Yogi Bear”.

3 Montreal Alouettes’ org. : CFL

The Montreal Alouettes play in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The team was founded in 1946, collapsed financially in 1982, formed again as the Montreal Concordes, rebranded as the Alouettes in 1986, folded again in 1987, before taking the current form in 1996.

4 “The Aviator” (2004) Oscar nominee : ALDA

Alan Alda has had a great television career, most notably as a lead actor in “M*A*S*H”. He was born Alphonso D’Abruzzo in the Bronx, New York City. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He also won an Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

“The Aviator” is a great 2004 film, and a biographical piece about much of the life of aviation pioneer Howard Hughes. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the title role, with Cate Blanchett playing a very credible Katharine Hepburn, Hughes’ lover with whom he lived for quite some time. Blanchett won a very much deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. Alan Alda received an Oscar nomination as a supporting actor, playing Senator Owen Brewster, a thorn in the side for Howard Hughes.

5 Manhattan Project physicist born in Rome : FERMI

Enrico Fermi was born in Rome, Italy. He moved to the US just before WWII, largely to escape the anti-Semitic feelings that were developing in Italy under Mussolini. Fermi traveled from Rome to Stockholm in 1938 to receive that year’s Nobel Prize in Physics. Instead of returning to Italy, Fermi and his family traveled on to New York City, where they applied for permanent residency. It was Fermi’s work at the University of Chicago that led to the construction of the world’s first nuclear reactor. Fermi died at 53 years of age from stomach cancer . Cancer was a prevalent cause of death among the team working on that first nuclear pile.

6 Derek Jeter, e.g. : EX-YANKEE

Derek Jeter played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and was the team’s captain. Jeter is the all-time career leader for the Yankees in hits, games played, stolen bases and at bats. He is also the all-time leader in hits by a shortstop in the whole of professional baseball. Jeter’s performances in the postseason earned him the nicknames “Captain Clutch” and “Mr. November”. Jeter retired from the game in 2014.

8 __-garde : AVANT

Someone or something described as avant-garde is especially innovative. “Avant-garde” is French for “advance guard”.

10 Middle-earth trilogy, to fans : LOTR

“Lord of the Rings” (LOTR)

Middle-earth is the setting for J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” series.

12 Retailer offering sitting and walking services : PETCO

Petco is a chain of retail stores that sells live animals and pet supplies. The Petco logo includes the two company mascots, Red Ruff the dog and Blue Mews the cat.

13 Farm call : SOOEY!

“Sooey!” is a shout used to call pigs.

24 City near Orlando : OCALA

The city of Ocala, Florida was founded near a historic village with the same name. In the local Timucua language “Ocala” means “Big Hammock”. Back in the 1890s, Ocala was famous for its oranges, with over one third of that fruit shipped from Florida coming from the city. Also, thoroughbred horse farming in Florida started in Ocala, back in 1943. Some folks today call Ocala the “Horse Capital of the World”, but I bet that’s disputed by others …

25 Eats way too much of, briefly : ODS ON

Overdose (OD)

29 Debt vouchers : CHITS

A chit is a note or a short letter. The term tends to be used these days in the sense of an amount owed (as in a poker game). The word used to be “chitty”, which is now obsolete but was closer to the original Hindi term. I feel a tad obsolete myself, because when we are at school we would be excused from class if we had a “chitty”.

36 Mishmashes : OLIOS

“Olio” is a term meaning “hodgepodge, mixture” that comes from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew in turn takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the clay pot used for cooking.

38 Aromatic compound : ESTER

Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic. Fats and oils found in nature are fatty acid esters of glycerol known as glycerides.

40 Gastropod on a brasserie menu : ESCARGOT

“Escargot” is the French word for “snail”. In order to eat snails, apparently they have to be “purged” before killing them. That means starving them or feeding them on something “wholesome” for several days before cooking them up. Ugh …

Snails and slugs are referred to collectively as gastropods. There are many, many species of gastropods, found both on land and in the sea. Gastropods with shells are generally described as snails, and those species without shells are referred to as slugs.

A brasserie is a kind of French restaurant that’s usually a step up from a bistro. “Brasserie” is the French word for “brewery”, and the original brasseries in France served beer that was brewed on the premises.

42 2007 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee : MIA HAMM

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player. She played as a forward on the US national team that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm scored 158 international goals, which was more than any other player in the world, male or female, until the record was broken in 2013. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame is located in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas. The institution was founded in 1950, and opened its first museum in 1999 in Oneonta, New York. The current facility opened at Frisco’s Toyota Stadium in 2015.

43 “Say Anything…” actress Skye : IONE

Ione Skye is an American actress born in London, England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything…”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.

45 Insurance that covers canines : DENTAL

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.

48 Westminster attraction : ABBEY

The actual name for the Gothic church we know as Westminster Abbey is the Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster. The Abbey is a favored location for coronations and royal weddings and burials.

49 City near the Heliopolis Palace : CAIRO

The Heliopolis Palace is a presidential palace located just outside the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The Heliopolis Palace was originally built as a luxury hotel, and opened for guests in 1910. The Egyptian government purchased the hotel in 1958 and repurposed the building. It was renovated in the eighties and became a palace used by President Hosni Mubarak, who took office in 1981.

50 Home of the Ewoks : ENDOR

The Ewoks are creatures that live on the moon of Endor in the “Star Wars” universe. First appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”, they’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

52 Crete’s highest pt. : MT IDA

There are two peaks called Mount Ida that are sacred according to Greek mythology. Mount Ida in Crete is the island’s highest point, and is where one can find the cave in which Zeus was reared. Mount Ida in Asia Minor (located in modern-day Turkey) is where Ganymede was swept up by Zeus in the form of an eagle that took him to Olympus where he served as cupbearer to the gods.

53 Posh hotel option : SUITE

No one really knows the etymology of the word “posh”. The popular myth that “posh” is actually an acronym standing for “port out, starboard home” is completely untrue, and is a story that can actually be traced back to the 1968 movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. The myth is that wealthy British passengers travelling to and from India would book cabins on the port side for the outward journey and the starboard side for the home journey. This trick was supposedly designed to keep their cabins out of the direct sunlight.

57 “Mom” actor Corddry : NATE

Nate Corddry is an actor and comedian who is perhaps best known for playing the manager of the restaurant where Christy works in the sitcom “Mom”. Corddry also played lawyer Adam Branch on the sitcom “Harry’s Game” alongside Kathy Bates. Nate is the younger brother of comedian and actor Rob Corddry, whe turned up quite frequently as a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”.

62 Former flier : TWA

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan Am and TWA’s purchase by Howard Hughes, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the initialism “TWA”) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Starbucks rival owned by a fast-food chain : MCCAFE
7 Josh of “Frozen” : GAD
10 Spots for toddlers : LAPS
14 Automatic reaction : REFLEX
15 Reproductive cells : OVA
16 Cookie shaped like two of its letters : OREO
17 Welcome words to a dishwasher : I’LL DRY
18 Moving wheels : VAN
19 *Wizard revealer : TOTO
20 Classic 1779 hymn : AMAZING GRACE
23 Rock’s __ Fighters : FOO
26 Lassitude : INERTIA
27 Dale’s guy : ROY
28 *Electrically flexible : AC/DC
30 “The Jungle Book” python : KAA
31 Flight safety org. : TSA
33 “The Thin Man” author Hammett : DASHIELL
35 20 fins : C-NOTE
39 Plaza Hotel girl : ELOISE
40 *Aerie nesters : EAGLES
41 Red-and-white suit wearer : SANTA
42 Proofer’s find : MISPRINT
44 “Sammy the Seal” writer Hoff : SYD
46 World games org. : IOC
47 Coupling device : YOKE
48 Big club : ACE
51 Weeks in Oaxaca : SEMANAS
54 Old atlas abbr. : SSR
55 1973 triple-platinum album by Wings … and what each of three answers to starred clues is, literally : BAND ON THE RUN
58 __ one’s time : BIDE
59 Tijuana aunt : TIA
60 Titans : GIANTS
64 Bow-toting god : EROS
65 USN VIP : ADM
66 Home of the Senators : OTTAWA
67 Center of N.Y.C.? : YORK
68 Escape : LAM
69 Disc golf starting point : TEEPAD

Down

1 Hosp. test in a tube : MRI
2 Hanna-Barbera collectible : CEL
3 Montreal Alouettes’ org. : CFL
4 “The Aviator” (2004) Oscar nominee : ALDA
5 Manhattan Project physicist born in Rome : FERMI
6 Derek Jeter, e.g. : EX-YANKEE
7 Spread quickly online : GO VIRAL
8 __-garde : AVANT
9 “Blast!” : DANG IT!
10 Middle-earth trilogy, to fans : LOTR
11 Cheering loudly : AROAR
12 Retailer offering sitting and walking services : PETCO
13 Farm call : SOOEY!
21 Enthusiasm : ZEAL
22 Tank top : GAS CAP
23 Dims : FADES
24 City near Orlando : OCALA
25 Eats way too much of, briefly : ODS ON
29 Debt vouchers : CHITS
32 Sore : ANGRY
34 Parental “explanation” : I SAY SO
36 Mishmashes : OLIOS
37 Some charity runs, informally : TEN-KS
38 Aromatic compound : ESTER
40 Gastropod on a brasserie menu : ESCARGOT
42 2007 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee : MIA HAMM
43 “Say Anything…” actress Skye : IONE
45 Insurance that covers canines : DENTAL
48 Westminster attraction : ABBEY
49 City near the Heliopolis Palace : CAIRO
50 Home of the Ewoks : ENDOR
52 Crete’s highest pt. : MT IDA
53 Posh hotel option : SUITE
56 Newsroom post : DESK
57 “Mom” actor Corddry : NATE
61 Snooze : NAP
62 Former flier : TWA
63 Like one texting “:-(” : SAD