LA Times Crossword 30 Sep 22, Friday

Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Added

Themed answers are common phrases with “ED” ADDED:

65A Extra, and a two-word hint to the answers to the starred clues : ADDED and ADD “ED”

17A *Teachers who demand perfect asanas? : YOGA PEDANTS (add ED to “yoga pants”)
24A *Blogs and newsletters about raising a family? : MAMMA MEDIA (add ED to “mamma mia”)
49A *Lion or tiger in the National Zoo? : FEDERAL CAT (add ED to “feral cat”)
58A *Ocean predator taking whatever comes its way? : MAKE-DO SHARK (add ED to “mako shark”)

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Bill’s time: 10m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Like a WiFi-enabled toaster : SMART

“Wi-Fi” is nothing more than a trademark, a trademark registered by an association of manufacturers of equipment that use wireless LAN (Local Area Network) technology. A device labeled with “Wi-Fi” has to meet certain defined technical standards, basically meaning that the devices can talk to each other. The name “Wi-Fi” suggests “Wireless Fidelity”, although apparently the term was never intended to mean anything at all.

11 Storage acronym : ROM

Read-only memory (ROM)

14 “Always Innovating” infomercial brand : RONCO

Ronco was a company that manufactured and sold products mainly for the kitchen. Over the years, the company was closely associated with the “-O-Matic” suffix, and particularly the “Veg-O-Matic” vegetable slicer. Ronco was also associated with the phrase “set it and forget it”, which was used for the Showtime Rotisserie Grill. Ronco went bankrupt in 2018.

16 AQI monitor : EPA

The air quality index (AQI) is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

17 *Teachers who demand perfect asanas? : YOGA PEDANTS (add ED to “yoga pants”)

A pedant is a person “who trumpets minor points of learning”, a person who tends to nit-pick. “Pedant” comes via Middle French from the Italian word “pedante” meaning “teacher”.

“Asana” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally as “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

19 High pts. : MTS

Mountain (mt.)

20 Acrylic alternative : ENAMEL

Those would be types of paints.

21 California’s Big __ : SUR

Big Sur is a lovely part of the California Coast located south of Monterey and Carmel. The name “Big Sur” comes from the original Spanish description of the area as “el sur grande” meaning “the big south”.

23 Semi : RIG

A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

30 Wickerwork : CANING

The Wych elm is also known as the Scots elm. It is the most common species of elm found in Europe. The term “wych” comes from the Old English “wice” meaning “pliant, supple”. The word “wice” also gives rise to our word “wicker”.

34 City on the Rhine : BASEL

The city of Basel in Switzerland lies right where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, and so has suburbs that lie in both France and Germany.

43 Exactly right : SPOT-ON

Something described as spot-on is exactly correct. The term “spot-on” originated with the Royal Air Force in WII when it described a shot or bomb that was right on target.

44 Mike and __ : IKE

“Mike and Ike” is a brand of fruit-flavored candy made by Just Born starting in 1940. Just Born launched quite a unique marketing campaign in 2012 asserting that Mike and Ike had “split up due to creative differences”. The campaign involved production of two different boxes for the candy showing one or the other name scratched out. Clever …

45 Inbox clogger : SPAM

The term “spam”, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word Spam, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets of Britain after WWII. So “spam” is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

49 *Lion or tiger in the National Zoo? : FEDERAL CAT (add ED to “feral cat”)

“Feral”, meaning “existing in a wild or untamed state”, comes from the Latin word “fera” meaning “wild animal”.

51 Mendes of “Girl in Progress” : EVA

I am most familiar with actress Eva Mendes as the female lead in the movie “Hitch”, in which she played opposite Will Smith. Mendes started a relationship with fellow actor Ryan Gosling in 2011, and the couple have two children together.

“Girl in Progress” is a 2012 movie starring Eva Mendes as the mother of a teenage girl who sets herself tasks designed to accelerate her “progress” towards maturity. The daughter, and title character, is played by Cierra Ramirez.

52 Actress Cheryl : LADD

Cheryl Ladd’s most famous role was Kris Munroe in television’s “Charlie’s Angels”. Ladd replaced Farrah Fawcett-Majors when the latter opted out of the show. Cheryl Ladd was the daughter-in-law of famed Hollywood actor Alan Ladd, as she was married to Ladd’s son, David. After the couple divorced, Cheryl retained the Ladd name.

53 Hägar creator Browne : DIK

“Hägar the Horrible” is a comic strip that was created by the late Dik Browne and is now drawn by his son, Chris Browne. “Hägar the Terrible” (not “Horrible”) was the nickname given to Dik by his sons. The strip’s title character is a red-bearded Viking living on the Norwegian coast during the Middle Ages. Hägar lives with his overbearing wife Helga, his sensitive son Hamlet, his pretty daughter Honi, and his clever dog Snert.

54 Area that’s far from a strike zone : GUTTER

A pinsetter is a mechanical device that puts bowling pins into position, returns balls, and clears fallen pins. Prior to the invention of the pinsetting machine, young men known as pinboys used to reset the pins by hand.

57 Inventor Whitney : ELI

Inventor Eli Whitney is best known for inventing the cotton gin. Whitney also came up with the important concept of “interchangeable parts”. Parts that are interchangeable can be swapped out of equipment or perhaps used in related designs.

58 *Ocean predator taking whatever comes its way? : MAKE-DO SHARK (add ED to “mako shark”)

The shortfin mako shark can appear on restaurant menus, and as a result the species is dying out in some parts of the world. The mako gets its own back sometimes though, as attacks on humans are not unknown. It is the fastest-swimming shark, and has been clocked at speeds of over 40 miles/hour. And the shark in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”, that’s a mako. “Mako” is the Maori word for “shark” or “shark tooth”.

60 Summer along the Seine : ETE

The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. It empties into the English Channel to the north, at the port city of Le Havre.

61 “SNL” alum Cheri : OTERI

Cheri Oteri was the SNL (“Saturday Night Live”) cast member who regularly appeared with Will Ferrell in the skit featuring a pair of Spartan cheerleaders.

62 Nightingale, notably : NURSE

Florence Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale worked as a nurse, tending wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. There she became known as “The Lady with the Lamp” as she routinely made her rounds during the night. Not long after returning to London, Nightingale set up the first secular nursing school in the world, at St. Thomas’ Hospital.

63 Sci-fi/fantasy publisher whose logo is a mountain peak : TOR

Tor Books is a publishing house in New York City that specializes in science fiction and fantasy novels.

64 Velvety garden flower : PANSY

The pansy is a garden flower that takes its name from the French word “pensée” meaning “thought”. This name was chosen as the flower was often used as a symbol of remembrance. The petals of pansies have dark blotches that often appear to form the outline of a face.

Down

1 Young chickens : FRYERS

Chickens sold for cooking are marketed as fryers, broilers and roasters, depending on size. Fryers weigh 2.5-4 pounds, broilers 4-6 pounds, and roasters 6-8 pounds.

2 Coin that’s for the birds? : LOONIE

The common loon (also “great northern diver”) is the provincial bird of Ontario, and the state bird of Minnesota. The loon once appeared on Canadian $20 bills and also appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, giving the coin the nickname “the loonie”.

3 Order from Captain Picard : ENGAGE

When Gene Roddenberry was creating the “Star Trek” spin-off series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, I think he chose a quite magnificent name for the new starship captain. “Jean-Luc Picard” is imitative of one or both of the twin-brother Swiss scientists Auguste and Jean Felix Piccard. The role of Picard was played by the wonderful Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart.

5 Pandora’s box remnant : HOPE

According to Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. She was created by the gods, with each god bestowing on her a gift. Her name can be translated from Greek as “all-gifted”. Pandora is famous for the story of “Pandora’s Box”. The story should be about Pandora’s “Jar”,as a 16th-century error in translation created a “box” out of the “jar”. In the story of Pandora’s Box, curiosity got the better of her and she opened up a box she was meant to leave alone. As a result she released all the evils of mankind, just closing it in time to trap hope inside.

6 Benchmark: Abbr. : STD

A benchmark is something that serves as a standard used to measure others. The original benchmark was a point of reference used by surveyors. Literally, a benchmark was an angle-iron driven into the ground as a support (or “bench”) for a leveling instrument.

7 Oppressive atmospheres : MIASMAS

The word “miasma” was first used for the poisonous atmosphere thought to arise from swamps and rotting matter, and which could cause disease. Nowadays, a miasma is just a thick cloud of gas or smoke.

8 Per __ : ANNUM

The Latin word for year is “annus”. We often see it used in Latin phrases, but usually with a different spelling. In “anno Domini”, the “anno” is the ablative case of “annus” as the phrase means “in the year of the Lord”. Another example is “per annum”, in which “annum” is the accusative case as the literal translation of the phrase is “during the year”.

10 XFL scores : TDS

The XFL was an American Football league that only survived for one season. The intention of the league was to provide football fans with something to watch in the off-season, but the fans didn’t bother. There was discussion when the league was founded that “XFL” would stand for “Extreme” Football League, but the decision was made to let the “X” stand for nothing at all. The XFL was revived in 2020.

18 Bull on a glue bottle : ELMER

Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor of Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer’s Glue.

22 Life guides : MENTORS

A mentor is a trusted teacher or counselor. The term “mentor” comes from Homer’s “Odyssey” in which there is a character named Mentor. He is a friend of Odysseus, although he is a relatively ineffective old man. The goddess Athena takes on Mentor’s appearance in order to guide Odysseus’s young son Telemachus through difficult times.

25 Synagogue structure : ARK

The Torah ark is found in a synagogue, and is the ornamental container in which the Torah scrolls are stored. The word “Torah” best translates as “teaching” or “law”, I am told.

26 Shot not allowed in some pool halls : MASSE

In billiards, a massé shot is one in which the cue ball makes an extreme curve due to the player imparting heavy spin on the ball with his or her cue held relatively vertically. Some pool halls don’t allow massé shots as there’s a risk of ripping the cloth covering the table.

28 Came down hard? : SLEETED

Apparently, “sleet” is a term used to describe two different weather conditions. One is a shower of ice pellets that are smaller than hail, and the second is a mixture of rain and snow, with the snow melting as it falls.

34 After-school lineup : BUS FLEET

We use the term “bus” for a mode of transportation as it is an abbreviated form of the original “omnibus”. We imported “omnibus” via French from Latin, in which language it means “for all”. The idea is that an omnibus is a carriage “for all”.

36 Less liable to last : SHODDIER

Something described as shoddy is of inferior quality, especially if it has a delusive appearance of high quality.

39 23andMe’s stock in trade : DNA DATA

23andMe was the first company to offer direct-to-consumer genetic testing, doing so in 2007. Initially, 23andMe offered a test that determined a subject’s predisposition to a list of specific genetic traits, including baldness and blindness. The company now offers a cost-effective ancestry DNA test as well. The name “23andMe” is a reference to the 23 pairs of chromosomes in the cells of a human.

41 Pseudonym letters : AKA

Also known as (aka)

46 “Hoist with his own __”: Hamlet : PETARD

In days of old, a petard was a small bomb that was used to breach fortified gates and walls. The phrase “hoist with his own petard” comes from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, and is a reference to a petard detonating prematurely and blowing up (“hoisting”) the bomber.

55 Sch. where John McCain is buried : USNA

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is located in Annapolis, Maryland. It was founded in 1845 and educates officers for both the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. The motto of the USNA is “Ex Scientia Tridens”, which translates as “From Knowledge, Sea Power”.

John McCain went into the US Naval Academy (USNA) in 1958, following a family tradition as his father and grandfather were both four-star admirals. The younger McCain did not achieve the same rank, and retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981. That said, his career development was interrupted by almost six years spent as a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam. John McCain was a US Senator from Arizona from 1987 until he passed away in 2018. His body was interred at the USNA Cemetery in Annapolis.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Blood relative? : FLESH
6 Like a WiFi-enabled toaster : SMART
11 Storage acronym : ROM
14 “Always Innovating” infomercial brand : RONCO
15 Pointed, in a way : TINED
16 AQI monitor : EPA
17 *Teachers who demand perfect asanas? : YOGA PEDANTS (add ED to “yoga pants”)
19 High pts. : MTS
20 Acrylic alternative : ENAMEL
21 California’s Big __ : SUR
22 Word with hot or fine : … MESS
23 Semi : RIG
24 *Blogs and newsletters about raising a family? : MAMMA MEDIA (add ED to “mamma mia”)
27 Gets : SEES
29 Notable time : ERA
30 Wickerwork : CANING
31 Fancy-free adventures : LARKS
33 Willing subject? : ESTATE
34 City on the Rhine : BASEL
37 Recital pieces : SOLOS
38 Confirmed, in a way : UPHELD
40 Farm machine : BALER
43 Exactly right : SPOT-ON
44 Mike and __ : IKE
45 Inbox clogger : SPAM
49 *Lion or tiger in the National Zoo? : FEDERAL CAT (add ED to “feral cat”)
51 Mendes of “Girl in Progress” : EVA
52 Actress Cheryl : LADD
53 Hägar creator Browne : DIK
54 Area that’s far from a strike zone : GUTTER
57 Inventor Whitney : ELI
58 *Ocean predator taking whatever comes its way? : MAKE-DO SHARK (add ED to “mako shark”)
60 Summer along the Seine : ETE
61 “SNL” alum Cheri : OTERI
62 Nightingale, notably : NURSE
63 Sci-fi/fantasy publisher whose logo is a mountain peak : TOR
64 Velvety garden flower : PANSY
65 Extra, and a two-word hint to the answers to the starred clues : ADDED and ADD “ED”

Down

1 Young chickens : FRYERS
2 Coin that’s for the birds? : LOONIE
3 Order from Captain Picard : ENGAGE
4 Many a “We’ve suspended your account” text : SCAM
5 Pandora’s box remnant : HOPE
6 Benchmark: Abbr. : STD
7 Oppressive atmospheres : MIASMAS
8 Per __ : ANNUM
9 Go back over : RETRACE
10 XFL scores : TDS
11 Like some skill-building classes : REMEDIAL
12 Joins : OPTS INTO
13 Treatments that many are prone to enjoy? : MASSAGES
18 Bull on a glue bottle : ELMER
22 Life guides : MENTORS
25 Synagogue structure : ARK
26 Shot not allowed in some pool halls : MASSE
28 Came down hard? : SLEETED
32 __ nothing : ALL OR
34 After-school lineup : BUS FLEET
35 Entrance : APPEAL TO
36 Less liable to last : SHODDIER
39 23andMe’s stock in trade : DNA DATA
40 Quarrels : BICKERS
41 Pseudonym letters : AKA
42 Free : LET GO
46 “Hoist with his own __”: Hamlet : PETARD
47 Unwilling : AVERSE
48 Prominent : MARKED
50 Compare : LIKEN
55 Sch. where John McCain is buried : USNA
56 Dull sound : THUD
58 Custodial need : MOP
59 Handy initials : DIY

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