LA Times Crossword 28 Jan 23, Saturday

Advertisement

Constructed by: Jamey Smith
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment

Bill’s time: 15m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10 Lab order? : HEEL!

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814, and the chocolate Labrador appeared over a century later in the 1930s. The name “Labrador Retriever” is simply a reference to the breed’s origin and behavior. Labs originally “retrieved” from the “Labrador Sea”.

14 “Black Dog” singer Parks : ARLO

“Arlo Parks” is the stage name of British singer and poet Anaïs Marinho. Parks seems to have hit the big time early in her career, with her first studio album “Collapsed in Sunbeams” garnering a lot of positive attention.

Singer and poet Arlo Parks released the 2020 song “Black Dog” just a few weeks before she became an ambassador for a British mental health charity. The song deals with mental health, and the title “Black Dog” is a term that Winston Churchill used for “depression”.

15 Motley crew : RAGTAG ARMY

“Ragtag and bobtail” is a colorful phrase that’s used to describe the lowest classes, or the rabble. A “bobtail” is a horse that has had its tail cut short, a word that goes back as least as far as Shakespeare as he used it in “King Lear”. A “tag” is a piece of cloth that is torn and hanging, which was readily combined with “rag” in the original phrase “tag, rag and bobtail”. This idiom, perhaps originally quoted from Samuel Pepys in his diary in 1659, referred to the lower classes as “tag, rag and bobtail, dancing, singing and drinking”. The phrase evolved, giving us our contemporary word “ragtag” meaning ragged and unkempt.

Something described as motley is mottled, marked with different-colored spots. The term probably comes from the Old English word “mot” meaning “speck”. We can use the term “motley” figuratively to mean “diverse, heterogeneous”.

18 Attraction in Singapore’s Marine Life Park : OCEANARIUM

The S.E.A Aquarium in Singapore’s Marine Life Park was the world’s largest aquarium (by volume of water) when it opened in 2012. It contains 12 million US gallons of water, and is home to over 100,000 marine animals.

19 One-named Oscar winner for “Precious” : MO’NIQUE

“Mo’Nique” is the stage name of the comedian and actress Monique Angela Hicks. Mo’Nique is best known these days for her Oscar-winning performance in the 2009 movie “Precious”.

“Precious” is a 2009 big screen adaptation of the 1996 novel “Push” written by Sapphire. It certainly has been very successful, helped by winning numerous awards at its opening in various film festivals including Sundance and Cannes. The film also benefited from promotional assistance from Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, two of the co-producers. Included in the cast is Mariah Carey who plays the social worker working with “Precious”, the title character.

21 Insalata whose key ingredients happen to be the colors of the Italian flag : CAPRESE

A Caprese salad (“insalata caprese” in Italian) is a relatively simple, but delicious, salad comprising sliced mozzarella and tomatoes, with sweet basil and seasoned with salt and olive oil. It is thought the dish originated on the island of Capri, hence the name “Caprese”. I am a huge fan …

23 Japanese-American : NISEI

There are some very specific terms used to describe the children born to Japanese immigrants in their new country. The immigrants themselves are known as “Issei”. “Nisei” are second generation Japanese, “Sansei” the third generation (grandchildren of the immigrant), and “Yonsei” are fourth generation.

24 Lake that feeds the Mississippi : ITASCA

Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota is the main source of the Mississippi River. Known by Native Americans as “Elk Lake”, the name was changed by Henry Schoolcraft, who led the 1832 expedition to find the source of the Mississippi River. The name “Itasca” is formed from the Latin words for “truth” (ver-ITAS) and “head” (CA-put).

30 Choreographer de Mille : AGNES

Agnes de Mille was a dancer and choreographer from New York City. She was the niece of famous director Cecil B. DeMille, and the daughter of William C. deMille who was also a Hollywood director. Agnes turned to dance after she was told that she was “not pretty enough” to pursue her first love, which was acting …

32 Mountain near Olympus : OSSA

Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mount Pelion in the south, and the famed Mount Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

34 Barclays Center hoopster : NET

The NBA’s Brooklyn Nets were the New Jersey Nets until 2012, and were based in Newark. Prior to 1977, the team was known as the New York Nets and played in various locations on Long Island. Ten years earlier, the Nets were called the New Jersey Americans and were headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey.

The Barclays Center is an arena in Brooklyn, New York that is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, and to the New York Islanders of the NHL. Barclays ended up paying over $200 million for the naming rights, even though the London-based banking group has no retail banks or ATMs in the US.

35 Stretch from the Loop to the Gold Coast : MAGNIFICENT MILE

Chicago’s Michigan Avenue is home to many of the city’s landmarks, including the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millenium Park and the Magnificent Mile shopping district.

40 Donor type, briefly : O-NEG

In general, a person with type O-negative blood is a universal donor, meaning that his or her blood can be used for transfusion into persons with any other blood type: A, B, AB or O, negative or positive (although there are other considerations). Also in general, a person with type AB-positive blood is a universal recipient, meaning that he or she can receive a transfusion of blood of any type: A, B, AB or O, negative or positive.

42 Courted with love notes? : SANG TO

To court someone is to woo them, to offer homage. One might do something similar at a royal court, hence the use of the term.

58 Cor anglais kin : OBOE

The English horn is also known by its French name “cor anglais”. It is a double-reed woodwind instrument.

59 Sticky roll that originated in Britain : CHELSEA BUN

Chelsea buns look like cinnamon rolls with currants incorporated. They were first produced in the 1700s in a bakery called the Bun House in the Chelsea district of London, hence the name.

61 Spots in a casino : PIPS

The spots on dice are called pips.

Down

1 __ ray : GAMMA

Gamma radiation was discovered by the French chemist Paul Villard, as he studied radiation coming from the chemical element radium. This radiation was called “gamma”, the third letter in the Greek alphabet, as alpha and beta particles had already been identified.

2 Snacks that turned 110 last year : OREOS

National Oreo Cookie Day is March 6th each year. There is an urban legend that the particular day was chosen as this was the day that the name “Oreo” was registered as a trademark. However, that’s not the case. The application was filed on March 14, 1912 and registration took place on August 12, 1913. The suggestion is that the first Oreos went on sale on March 6, 1912.

8 Keanan of 1990s TV : STACI

“My Two Dads” is a sitcom that aired at the end of the 1980s. It’s about two men who are awarded joint custody of a teenage girl. The dads are played by Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan, and the daughter by Staci Keanan. Never saw it …

10 49th vice president : HARRIS

Kamala Harris was a US Senator for California starting in 2017, after serving for six years as the Attorney General of California. In early 2019, Harris announced her run for the Democratic nomination for US president in the 2020 election. Although she dropped out of the race, she was chosen by eventual nominee Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate. When the Biden-Harris ticket won the election, Harris became the highest-ranking female politician in the history of the US.

11 Northern terminus of I-79 : ERIE

Interstate 79 runs from Charleston, West Virginia in the south to Erie, Pennsylvania in the north.

12 Outback runners : EMUS

Even though emu meat is classified as a red meat because of its color, it has a fat content that is comparable to other poultry.

13 Old __, Connecticut : LYME

Old Lyme is a town in Connecticut that is named for the English town of Lyme Regis. The towns of Old Lyme and its neighbor Lyme gave their name to Lyme disease, as a number of cases of the disease were identified there in 1975.

20 Seemingly : QUASI

“Quasi” is a Latin word meaning “as if, as though”. We use the term in English to mean “having a likeness to something”.

23 Fledgling : NASCENT

A young bird is said to have fledged when its wing muscles and feathers have developed enough for it to fly. The term “fledgling” is used for a bird that has fledged, but is still reliant on a parent for food and protection. The verb “to fledge” means “to acquire feathers”. We use the term “fledgling” more generally to describe any person who is inexperienced.

28 Unagi roll fish : EELS

“Unagi” is the Japanese term for” freshwater eel”, and “anago” is the term for “saltwater eel”.

29 Editor’s “As you were” : STET

“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

30 College town north of Des Moines : AMES

The Iowa city of Ames was founded as a stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad in 1864. It was named for US Congressman Oakes Ames from the state of Massachusetts in honor of the role that Ames played in the building of the transcontinental railroad.

The city of Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and takes its name from the Des Moines River. The river in turn takes its name from the French “Riviere des Moines” meaning “River of the Monks”. It looks like there isn’t any “monkish” connection to the city’s name per se. “Des Moines” was just the name given by French traders who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Illinois Native Americans who lived by the river. However, others contend that French Trappist monks, who lived a full 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.

33 Lily variety : SEGO

The sego lily is the state flower of Utah. It is a perennial plant found throughout the Western United States.

38 Chandra and Thoth : MOON GODS

Chandra is a moon god in the Hindu tradition. He rides his chariot across the night sky, pulled by an antelope and ten white horses.

Thoth was an ancient Egyptian god who was depicted as a man with the head of either a baboon or an ibis. He was the god of many things, including wisdom, writing, magic and the dead.

43 “Crazy” duo __ Barkley : GNARLS

Gnarls Barkley is a duo made up of instrumentalist Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) and rapper Cee-Lo Green (aka Thomas Calloway). The name “Gnarls Barkley” is a melding of the individual names Prince Gnarls and Bob Gnarley. These names are parodies of Prince Charles and Bob Marley.

44 Pressure units named for the inventor of the barometer : TORRS

A torr is a unit of measure for pressure chosen to be equal to the fluid pressure of a millimeter of mercury. However, when one is talking specifically about blood pressure, we usually talk about “millimeters of mercury”, and not torr.

46 Skipper? : TRUANT

“Truant” is such a lovely word. We have been using it to describe someone who wanders from an appointed place since the mid-1400s. Prior to that, a truant was a beggar or a vagabond.

48 Music rights gp. : ASCAP

ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) collects licence fees for musicians and distributes royalties to composers whose works have been performed. BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) provides the same service.

50 Home of Maine’s Black Bears : ORONO

The town of Orono is home to the University of Maine that was founded in 1862. The college is actually located on an island (Marsh island) lying between the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers. The town of Orono is named after Joseph Orono, a chief of the Penobscot Nation. The school’s athletic teams are named the Maine Black Bears.

51 “Hannah and Her Sisters” Oscar winner : WIEST

Dianne Wiest is an actress from Kansas City, Missouri. Wiest has won two Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards, for “Hannah and Her Sisters” in 1987 and for “Bullets over Broadway” in 1995. In both movies, she was directed by Woody Allen.

“Hannah and Her Sisters” is a 1986 comedy-drama film that was written and directed by Woody Allen. Hannah is played by Mia Farrow, and Hannah’s two sisters are played by Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest.

52 Soviet letters : CCCP

The abbreviation CCCP stands for “Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик”, which translates from Russian as “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, the USSR.

55 Obfuscate : BLUR

To obfuscate is to make something unclear. The verb is derived from the Latin “obfuscare” meaning “to darken”.

57 “Price negotiable” letters : OBO

Or best offer (OBO)

Read on, or …
… return to top of page

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Loads : GOBS
5 Fully get : GRASP
10 Lab order? : HEEL!
14 “Black Dog” singer Parks : ARLO
15 Motley crew : RAGTAG ARMY
17 Ground corn : MEAL
18 Attraction in Singapore’s Marine Life Park : OCEANARIUM
19 One-named Oscar winner for “Precious” : MO’NIQUE
21 Insalata whose key ingredients happen to be the colors of the Italian flag : CAPRESE
22 Invites from a balcony, say : ASKS UP
23 Japanese-American : NISEI
24 Lake that feeds the Mississippi : ITASCA
26 Things to work on, maybe : ISSUES
30 Choreographer de Mille : AGNES
32 Mountain near Olympus : OSSA
34 Barclays Center hoopster : NET
35 Stretch from the Loop to the Gold Coast : MAGNIFICENT MILE
39 __ ideal : EGO
40 Donor type, briefly : O-NEG
41 Feather bed? : ROOST
42 Courted with love notes? : SANG TO
45 Whim : NOTION
47 Signal silently to : NOD AT
49 Dwindled : RAN LOW
52 Fraidy-cats : COWARDS
55 Italian luxury brand founded by a Greek silversmith : BULGARI
56 Soft-drink choice : CHERRY COLA
58 Cor anglais kin : OBOE
59 Sticky roll that originated in Britain : CHELSEA BUN
60 Burrows : DENS
61 Spots in a casino : PIPS
62 Wear : SPORT
63 __ canyon : SLOT

Down

1 __ ray : GAMMA
2 Snacks that turned 110 last year : OREOS
3 Unable to come up with : BLANKING ON
4 “Now, here’s the thing” : SO, LISTEN
5 Classifies : GROUPS
6 Ijeoma Oluo’s “So You Want to Talk About __” : RACE
7 Period : AGE
8 Keanan of 1990s TV : STACI
9 Like some fusion menus : PAN-ASIAN
10 49th vice president : HARRIS
11 Northern terminus of I-79 : ERIE
12 Outback runners : EMUS
13 Old __, Connecticut : LYME
16 Goggles : GAPES
20 Seemingly : QUASI
23 Fledgling : NASCENT
25 Element of change? : COIN
27 Local information source? : UNION LABEL
28 Unagi roll fish : EELS
29 Editor’s “As you were” : STET
30 College town north of Des Moines : AMES
31 Infatuated : GAGA
33 Lily variety : SEGO
36 Byproduct of some plant pigments : FOOD DYES
37 Experiment : TRIAL
38 Chandra and Thoth : MOON GODS
43 “Crazy” duo __ Barkley : GNARLS
44 Pressure units named for the inventor of the barometer : TORRS
46 Skipper? : TRUANT
48 Music rights gp. : ASCAP
50 Home of Maine’s Black Bears : ORONO
51 “Hannah and Her Sisters” Oscar winner : WIEST
52 Soviet letters : CCCP
53 “Didn’t see you there” : OH, HI
54 Fail to hold it together : WEEP
55 Obfuscate : BLUR
57 “Price negotiable” letters : OBO

Leave a comment (below), or …
… return to top of page

The post LA Times Crossword 28 Jan 23, Saturday appeared first on LAXCrossword.com.

from LAXCrossword.com https://ift.tt/YWFnImD