LA Times Crossword 11 Oct 21, Monday

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Constructed by: Fred Piscop
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Eat in a Hurry

Themed answers each end in a word meaning “EAT IN A HURRY”:

  • 61A Gobble down food, and hint to the ends of 17-, 31- and 45-Across : EAT IN A HURRY
  • 17A “Born to Be Wild” rock band : STEPPENWOLF (giving “wolf”)
  • 31A Cold-weather neckwear : WINTER SCARF (giving “scarf”)
  • 45A Flash of lightning : THUNDERBOLT (giving “bolt”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 15s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14 Handle on a rap sheet : ALIAS

A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap”, “bad rap” and “to beat the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.

16 Actress Longoria : EVA

Eva Longoria is a fashion model and actress who had a regular role on TV’s “Desperate Housewives”, playing Gabrielle Solis.

17 “Born to Be Wild” rock band : STEPPENWOLF (giving “wolf”)

The rock anthem “Born to be Wild” was made famous by the band Steppenwolf in 1967. The song is sometimes referred to as the first heavy metal song, as the words “heavy metal thunder” appear in the lyric, the first recorded use of the term “heavy metal” in rock music.

19 Mo. after February : MAR

March is the third month in our Gregorian calendar. It takes its name from the Latin “Martius”, which was the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. In turn, Martius was named for Mars, the Roman god of war.

21 Figure in red ink : LOSS

To be in the red is to be in debt, to owe money. The expression “in the red” is a reference to the accounting practice of recording debts and losses in red ink in ledgers. The related phrase “in the black” means “solvent, making a profit”.

22 Submit tax returns online : E-FILE

E-file: that’s certainly what I do with my tax return …

26 Clear kitchen wrap : SARAN

What’s known as plastic wrap in America, we call cling-film in Ireland. The brand name “Saran” is often used generically in the US, while “Glad” wrap is common down under. Plastic wrap was one of those unintended inventions, a byproduct of a development program to create a hard plastic cover for cars.

28 One of the political Bushes : JEB

Jeb Bush is the son of President George H. W. Bush, and the brother of President George W. Bush. I always thought that Jeb was an American nickname for James or Joseph but I must be wrong, because George and Barbara’s son John Ellis Bush is called “Jeb”. A kind blog reader has suggested the name “Jeb” may have been chosen as JEB are the initials of John Ellis Bush.

37 FDR’s successor : HST

The letter “S” in the middle of the name Harry S. Truman (HST) doesn’t stand for anything. The future-president was named “Harry” in honor of his mother’s brother Harrison “Harry” Young. The initial “S” was chosen in honor of young Harry’s two grandfathers: Anderson S-hipp Truman and S-olomon Young.

38 Pants, in slang : TROU

Trousers are pants, the garment covering the lower body and each leg separately. Ultimately, the word “trousers” evolved from the Erse word “triubhas” that described close-fitting shorts. Back in the 1600s there was a colorful saying:

A jellous wife was like an Irish trouze, alwayes close to a mans tayle

39 Gives the thumbs-down : NIXES

The use of “to nix” as a verb, meaning “to shoot down”, dates back to the early 1900s. Before that, “nix” was just a noun meaning “nothing”. “Nix” comes from the German “nichts”, which also means “nothing”.

40 Egyptian boy-king : TUT

“King Tut” is a name commonly used for the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun may not have been the most significant of the pharaohs historically, but he is the most famous today largely because of the discovery of his nearly intact tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. Prior to this find, any Egyptian tombs uncovered by archaeologists had been ravaged by grave robbers. Tutankhamun’s magnificent burial mask is one of the most recognizable of all Egyptian artifacts.

42 “__, Brute?” : ET TU

The most famous man with the name “Brutus” in ancient Rome was Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger. It was this Brutus that Julius Caesar turned to when he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate. William Shakespeare immortalized Brutus by featuring him in his play, “Julius Caesar”, and giving his victim the line “Et tu, Brute?”

44 Texas border city : LAREDO

Laredo is a border city in Texas that is situated on the banks of the Rio Grande, across the border from Nuevo Laredo in Mexico.

45 Flash of lightning : THUNDERBOLT (giving “bolt”)

The word “thunder” precedes the word “lightning” in the phrase “thunder and lightning”. However, thunder comes after lighting in reality, at least to the observer. The observer sees the flash of lightning and then seconds later hears the crash of thunder. That’s because light travels faster than sound.

48 Part of the Trinity : SON

In the Christian tradition, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost are three persons in one divine being, the Holy Trinity.

52 Flag maker Ross : BETSY

Legend has it that Betsy Ross made the first American flag for General George Washington. However, this story only surfaced during the centennial celebrations of 1876, and although Betsy Ross was indeed one of several flag makers in Philadelphia in the days of George Washington, sadly there’s no definitive evidence that Ross provided that first Stars and Stripes.

54 In Touch Weekly twosome, usually : ITEM

An unmarried couple known to be involved with each other might appear in the gossip columns. This appearance as “an item” in the papers, led to the use of “item” to refer to such a couple, but only since the very early seventies.

“In Touch Weekly” is a celebrity news and gossip magazine that targets a relatively young female readership.

64 Fail a polygraph test : LIE

We are most familiar with the word “polygraph” as the generic name for a lie detector instrument. This usage began in 1921, although the term had been around since the end of the 18th century. Back then, a polygraph was a mechanical device used to make multiple copies as something was written or drawn. Famously, Thomas Jefferson used a polygraph to preserve copies of letters that he wrote to correspondents.

65 River of Lyon : RHONE

The Rhône river rises in Switzerland, passes through Lake Geneva, flows through the southeast of France, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea near Arles.

The city of Lyon in France is sometimes known as “Lyons” in English. Lyon is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, after Paris. It is located just to the north of the confluence of the Rhône and Saône Rivers.

67 __ Cruces, N. Mex. : LAS

Las Cruces (Spanish for “the crosses”) is the second largest city in the state of New Mexico, and is the home of New Mexico State University.

68 Less loony : SANER

Something described as loony is insane, crazy. “Loony” is short for “lunatic”, an adjective that is now considered offensive. The term arose in the late 1400s when it meant “affected with periodic insanity”, insanity attacks brought on by the cycles of the moon. “Lunatic” comes from the Latin “luna” meaning “moon”.

69 V-formation fliers : GEESE

A collection of geese is referred to as a “gaggle” when on the ground. When geese are in V-formation in flight, they are referred to collectively as a “skein”.

Apparently, birds that fly in a V-formation do so for a couple of reasons. One is that it makes for efficient flight and conserves energy. The leading bird gets no advantage, but every following bird gets to “slipstream” a little. It has been noted that the lead bird drops to the back of the formation when he/she gets fatigued. It’s also thought that the flock can stick together more easily when in formation, so it is more difficult to lose someone along the way.

Down

1 Sunday service : MASS

The principal act of worship in the Roman Catholic tradition is the Mass. The term “Mass” comes from the Late Latin word “missa” meaning “dismissal”. This word is used at the end of the Latin Mass in “Ite, missa est” which translates literally as “Go, it is the dismissal”.

2 Voice above tenor : ALTO

In choral music, an alto (plural “alti”) is the second-highest voice in a four-part chorus made up of soprano, contr(alto), tenor and bass. The word “alto” describes the vocal range, that of the deepest female singing-voice, whereas the term “contralto” describes more than just the alto range, but also its quality and timbre. An adult male’s voice (not a boy’s) with the same range as an alto is called a “countertenor”.

3 Stadium level : TIER

The Greek word “stadion” was a measure of length, about 600 feet. The name “stadion” then came to be used for a running track of that length. That “running track” meaning led to our contemporary word “stadium” (plural “stadia”).

4 Cassettes and eight-tracks : TAPES

The French for “box” is “casse”. So, a “cassette” is a “little box”.

“8-track” is a common term describing the sound-recording technology more correctly called “Stereo 8”. 8-track became popular for a while because its magnetic tape came in a cartridge that was convenient to use in a car.

5 Sixth sense letters : ESP

The so-called sixth sense is extrasensory perception (ESP).

6 When both hands are straight up : AT NOON

Our word “noon”, meaning “midday”, comes from the Latin “nona hora” that translates as “ninth hour”. Back in ancient Rome, the “ninth hour” was three in the afternoon. Over the centuries, traditions such as church prayers and “midday” meals shifted from 3 p.m. to 12 p.m., and so “noon” became understood as 12 noon.

9 Bilingual subj. : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

11 Schools for ministers-to-be : SEMINARIES

Originally, a seminary was where plants were raised from seeds, as “semen” is the Latin for “seed”. The first schools labeled as seminaries were established in the late 1500s. Those first schools were more likely to be academies for young ladies back then, rather than for trainee priests.

18 New York Harbor’s __ Island : ELLIS

Ellis Island is an exclave of New York City that is geographically located within the bounds of Jersey City, New Jersey. The name comes from Samuel Ellis, who owned the island around the time of the American Revolution. Ellis Island was the nation’s main immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954.

23 The “F” in SPF : FACTOR

In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say just stay out of the sun …

28 Pop star Jackson : JANET

Janet Jackson is the youngest of the famed Jackson family of musicians. She is a very successful musical artist (she has sold over 100 million records!) but also devotes a lot of time to acting. When she was quite young she appeared on the TV show “Fame”, and in 1993 had her first starring role in a film, namely “Poetic Justice”. She followed that up with a part in “Nutty Professor II” playing opposite Eddie Murphy. As usual, she got to sing on the movie’s soundtrack and produced a number one with the song “Doesn’t Really Matter”. Then there was the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, and a wardrobe malfunction …

29 Writer Wharton : EDITH

Edith Wharton was a novelist and designer from New York City. Wharton was a wealthy woman and built her own estate in Lenox, Massachusetts called the Mount. My wife and I had the privilege of touring the Mount a few years ago, and there we saw evidence of what design meant to Wharton.

30 Hard-shelled terrarium pets : BOX TURTLES

The box turtle truly is a turtle, even though it lives on land. Because of its terrestrial home, it is sometimes wrongly referred to as the box tortoise.

A terrarium (plural “terraria”) is a contained environment used to house land animals. The term “terrarium“ comes from the equivalent “aquarium”, a tank for holding mainly fish. In general, a contained environment for keeping live animals or plants is known as a “vivarium”

32 “Opposable” digit : THUMB

Most animals don’t have the all important “opposable thumb” that allows us to work so efficiently with our hands. The characteristic of opposable thumbs is shared by humans, apes, Old World monkeys, as well as a few other species.

33 Lively sonata movement : RONDO

A rondo was often chosen by composers in the classical period for the last movement of a sonata (or symphony or concerto, for that matter). In rondo form there is a principal theme that alternates with a contrasting theme(s). So, the original theme anchors the whole piece in between secondary digressions.

34 Bed that’s easily stored : FUTON

A cantata is a piece of music that is sung, as opposed to a sonata, which is a piece that is played on some instrument, often a piano. A sonatina is in effect a sonata that has been labelled as something lighter and shorter.

36 Attends homecoming, say : REUNES

To “reune” is to attend a “reunion”.

41 New England NFL team : PATS

The New England Patriots football team was founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots. The “Patriots” name was selected from suggestions made by football fans in Boston. The team played at several different stadiums in the Boston area for just over ten years, before moving to their current home base in Foxborough, Massachusetts. At the time of the move, the “Boston” name was dropped and changed to “New England”.

43 Arthur of “The Golden Girls” : BEA

Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

“The Golden Girls” is a sitcom that originally aired in the eighties and nineties. The show features Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty as four older women who share a house in Miami.

44 Andean pack animal : LLAMA

Many female mammals lick off their newborn. That’s not an option for llamas as their tongues only reach out of their mouths about half an inch. Instead, llama dams nuzzle their young and hum to them.

The Andes range is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world. It runs down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles, from Venezuela in the north to Chile in the south. The highest peak in the Andes is Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.

46 Laundromat array : DRYERS

If you go looking for a laundromat in the UK or Ireland, folks will likely know what you’re talking about. However, the local name for such a facility is “launderette” or sometimes “laundrette”.

52 Matzo __ soup : BALL

Matzo is an unleavened bread that is very brittle. The bread is crushed, creating a Matzo meal that is then formed into balls using eggs and oil as a binder. The balls are usually served in a chicken stock.

53 Kazan who directed “On the Waterfront” : 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.

The 1954 drama “On the Waterfront”, starring Marlon Brando, told a story of violence and corruption among longshoremen. The movie was based on a series of 24 articles written by investigative journalist Malcolm Johnston and published in “The New York Sun”. The original news stories uncovered mob infiltration on the New York City Waterfront, but the location for the film was chosen as Hoboken, New Jersey.

57 One-named Art Deco notable : ERTE

“Erté” was the pseudonym of French (Russian-born) artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff. “Erté” is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.” Erté’s diverse portfolio of work included costumes and sets for the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1923, productions of the Parisian cabaret show “Folies Bergère”, as well as the 1925 epic movie “Ben-Hur”. Erté’s most famous work by far is an image titled “Symphony in Black”. It depicts a tall and slender woman dressed in black, holding a black dog on a leash.

Art Deco is a style of design and architecture of the 1920s that actually had its roots in Belgium and then spread throughout Europe before arriving in North America. Celebrated examples of Art Deco architecture are the magnificent Chrysler Building in New York City completed in 1930, and the GE Building that sits in the middle of New York City’s Rockefeller Center with the address of “30 Rock”.

58 Erotic god : EROS

The name of Eros, the Greek god of love, gives rise to our word “erotic” meaning “arousing sexual desire”. Eros was referred to in Latin as both “Amor” (meaning “love”) and “Cupid” (meaning “desire”).

59 Ancient harplike instrument : LYRE

The lyre is a stringed instrument that is most closely associated with ancient Greece, and with the gods Hermes and Apollo in particular. According to myth, Hermes slaughtered a cow from a sacred herd belonging to Apollo and offered it to the gods but kept the entrails. Hermes used the entrails to make strings that he stretched across the shell of a tortoise, creating the first lyre. Apollo liked the sound from the lyre and agreed to accept it as a trade for his herd of cattle.

63 Witchy woman of folklore : HAG

“Hag” is a shortened form of the Old English word “haegtesse” meaning “witch”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Dull paint finish : MATTE
6 Make furious : ANGER
11 Cry loudly : SOB
14 Handle on a rap sheet : ALIAS
15 Short and sweet : TERSE
16 Actress Longoria : EVA
17 “Born to Be Wild” rock band : STEPPENWOLF (giving “wolf”)
19 Mo. after February : MAR
20 Like a poor loser : SORE
21 Figure in red ink : LOSS
22 Submit tax returns online : E-FILE
24 Single-handedly : SOLO
26 Clear kitchen wrap : SARAN
28 One of the political Bushes : JEB
31 Cold-weather neckwear : WINTER SCARF (giving “scarf”)
35 Is crazy about : ADORES
37 FDR’s successor : HST
38 Pants, in slang : TROU
39 Gives the thumbs-down : NIXES
40 Egyptian boy-king : TUT
41 Gesture while giving directions : POINT
42 “__, Brute?” : ET TU
43 __ out: depress : BUM
44 Texas border city : LAREDO
45 Flash of lightning : THUNDERBOLT (giving “bolt”)
48 Part of the Trinity : SON
49 Aired again : RERAN
50 Former : PAST
52 Flag maker Ross : BETSY
54 In Touch Weekly twosome, usually : ITEM
56 Film spool : REEL
60 Every bit : ALL
61 Gobble down food, and hint to the ends of 17-, 31- and 45-Across : EAT IN A HURRY
64 Fail a polygraph test : LIE
65 River of Lyon : RHONE
66 Role player : ACTOR
67 __ Cruces, N. Mex. : LAS
68 Less loony : SANER
69 V-formation fliers : GEESE

Down

1 Sunday service : MASS
2 Voice above tenor : ALTO
3 Stadium level : TIER
4 Cassettes and eight-tracks : TAPES
5 Sixth sense letters : ESP
6 When both hands are straight up : AT NOON
7 Anchor’s delivery : NEWS
8 Icky to the max : GROSSEST
9 Bilingual subj. : ESL
10 Mentions, with “to” : REFERS …
11 Schools for ministers-to-be : SEMINARIES
12 Mirror shape : OVAL
13 Uncarpeted : BARE
18 New York Harbor’s __ Island : ELLIS
23 The “F” in SPF : FACTOR
25 Hasn’t paid yet : OWES
27 Music or dance : ART
28 Pop star Jackson : JANET
29 Writer Wharton : EDITH
30 Hard-shelled terrarium pets : BOX TURTLES
32 “Opposable” digit : THUMB
33 Lively sonata movement : RONDO
34 Bed that’s easily stored : FUTON
36 Attends homecoming, say : REUNES
40 Activate the TV, say : TURN IT ON
41 New England NFL team : PATS
43 Arthur of “The Golden Girls” : BEA
44 Andean pack animal : LLAMA
46 Laundromat array : DRYERS
47 Bottle cap remover : OPENER
51 Feud ender : TRUCE
52 Matzo __ soup : BALL
53 Kazan who directed “On the Waterfront” : ELIA
55 Fork prong : TINE
57 One-named Art Deco notable : ERTE
58 Erotic god : EROS
59 Ancient harplike instrument : LYRE
62 “Caught ya!” : AHA!
63 Witchy woman of folklore : HAG