LA Times Crossword 8 Sep 23, Friday

Constructed by: Patti Varol
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Let’s See Some ID

Themed answers are common phrases with the letter pairing “ID” inserted:

54A Demand from a suspicious bartender, and an apt title for this puzzle : LET’S SEE SOME ID!

19A Matchmaker who’s popular in all 50 states? : AMERICA’S CUPID (from “America’s Cup”)
27A Barriers on the ocean floor? : DEEP-SEA DIVIDERS (from “deep-sea divers”)
48A Tearing the felt while attempting to put spin on the ball, e.g.? : ENGLISH ACCIDENT (from “English accent”)

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Bill’s time: 7m 38s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 __+Zoe: fashion brand named for the founder’s children : NIC

“NIC+ZOE is a fashion knitwear brand led by a mother and daughter partnership Dorian Lightbown and Zoë Chatfield-Taylor. The brand is named for Dorian’s children “Nic and Zoë”.

8 Grills, briefly : BBQS

It is believed that our word “barbecue” (BBQ) comes from the Taíno people of the Caribbean in whose language “barbacoa” means “sacred fire pit”.

13 Former frosh : SOPHS

The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.

“Frosh” is a slang term for a college freshperson (formerly “freshman”). We call such a person a “fresher” back in Ireland …

15 Prado display : ARTE

The Museo del Prado is in Madrid, the capital of Spain, and has one of the finest art collections in the world. The gallery’s most famous work is “Las Meninas” By Velazquez.

19 Matchmaker who’s popular in all 50 states? : AMERICA’S CUPID (from “America’s Cup”)

The America’s Cup is a trophy that has been awarded for yacht racing since 1851. It was first presented to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight in England that was won by a schooner called “America”. The trophy was eventually renamed to “The America’s Cup” in honor of that first race winner.

22 Credit card fig. : APR

Annual percentage rate (APR)

23 Initials for William or Kate : HRH

His/Her Royal Highness (HRH)

Kate Middleton is the wife of Prince William of the UK. Middleton is what one might call a commoner, although since her marriage she is known as the Duchess of Cambridge. She was born to parents who had worked together as flight attendants before becoming quite wealthy running their own mail-order business. As is so often the case in Britain, Kate’s ancestry can be traced back far enough to show that she and William do have common ancestors, dating back to the 1500s on her mother’s side and to the 1400s on her father’s side.

33 Record producer Gotti who created the BET series “Tales” : IRV

Irv Gotti is a record producer, and the founder of the The Inc record label. Gotti was born Irving Lorenzo, and took the name Gotti after the Boss of the Gambino crime family.

36 Soho stroller : PRAM

Another word used in Britain and Ireland that’s rarely used over here is “pram”, which in my day was the most common term for what is called a baby carriage in the US. “Pram” is short for “perambulator”.

The area of London called Soho had a very poor reputation for most of the 20th century as it was home to the city’s red-light district. Soho went through a transformation in recent decades, and has been a very fashionable neighborhood since the 1980s.

38 Shaver : LAD

“Shaver” is a slang term for a “fellow”, from the sense of “one who shaves”. Hence, a “little shaver” is a boy, a youngster.

40 “By __!” : JOVE

“By Jove!” is a mild oath that calls on the Roman god Jove, who was also known as Jupiter.

41 Pacific Rim nation : PANAMA

The nation that we now know as Panama sits on an isthmus that formed about 3 million years ago. The isthmus was the result of a land bridge forming between North and South America as two tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust slowly collided. Man first attempted to create a waterway across the Isthmus of Panama in 1881, but the 48-mile long Panama Canal only opened for business in 1914.

The phrase “Pacific Rim” describes the countries that surround the Pacific Ocean. The related phrase “Pacific Basin” includes the islands in the Pacific Ocean, in addition to the Pacific Rim nations.

44 Pastoral chorus : MOOS

The term “pastoral” means “relating to the countryside”, or more specifically “relating to shepherds”. “Pastor” is Latin for “shepherd”.

48 Tearing the felt while attempting to put spin on the ball, e.g.? : ENGLISH ACCIDENT (from “English accent”)

In my misspent youth, I’d play a little snooker (and a little pool). When deliberately placing side spin on the cue ball, we Irish (and British) players would simply say “I put some ‘side’ on that shot”. The term used over here in the US for the same shot is putting “english” on the ball. Ironically, the term “english” comes from the French “anglé” meaning “angled”. “Anglé” sounds exactly like the word “Anglais”, which is French for “English”. There you have it …

51 HST successor : DDE

Future US president Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas in 1890 and given the name David Dwight, but by the time he made it to the White House he was going by the name Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE). Growing up, his family called him Dwight, and when “Ike” enrolled in West Point he himself reversed the order of his given names.

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.

52 UPC kin : SKU

Stock-keeping unit (SKU)

Universal Price Code or Universal Product Code (UPC)

53 __ carte : A LA

On a restaurant menu, items that are “à la carte” are priced and ordered separately. A menu marked “table d’hôte” (also called “prix fixe”) is a fixed-price menu with limited choice. “Table d’hôte” translates from French as “table of the host”.

54 Demand from a suspicious bartender, and an apt title for this puzzle : LET’S SEE SOME ID!

Identity document (ID)

61 Texter’s hedge : FWIW

For what it’s worth (FWIW)

63 Midwest hub : O’HARE

O’Hare International was the world’s busiest airport from 1963 to 1998. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII.

67 Deck chair piece : SLAT

A deck chair is a folding chair with a single strip of fabric that forms the backrest/seat. The term “deck chair” was coined when such folding chairs became common sights on the decks of ocean liners and cruise ships.

70 “Lonely Boy” rock band the Black __ : KEYS

The Black Keys are a rock band, a duo from Akron, Ohio. Dan Auerbach on guitar, along with Patrick Carney on drums, formed the Black Keys in 2001.

Down

1 Cellular plan component : DATA

What we mostly call a “cell phone” here in North America is more usually referred to as a “mobile phone” in Britain and Ireland. My favorite term for the device is used in Germany, where it is called a “Handy”.

3 Marshmallow blackener : FIRE

S’mores are treats peculiar to North America that are usually eaten around a campfire. A s’more consists of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. The earliest written reference to the recipe is in a 1927 publication called “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”. Girl Scouts always did corner the market on cookies and the like!

4 Sandal style : T-STRAP

A t-strap is a t-shaped strap that is part of many women’s shoes. The strap is in two parts, with one part going across the ankle, and the other lying along the length of the foot on top.

5 Bossa __ : NOVA

Bossa nova is a style of music from Brazil that evolved from samba. The most famous piece of bossa nova is the song “The Girl from Ipanema”. The term “bossa nova” translates from Portuguese as “new trend”, or more colloquially as “new wave”.

6 Brewpub pours : IPAS

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

7 Affectedly elegant : CHICHI

Someone or something described as chichi is showily trendy and pretentious. “Chichi” is a French noun meaning “airs, fuss”.

8 Westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands : BALI

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is known as the “Island of the Gods” due to its rich and unique culture, which is steeped in religious and spiritual beliefs.

10 Liq. measures : QTS

The quart, the unit of volume, is so called because it is one quarter of a gallon.

14 Hybrid breaking pitch : SLURVE

The baseball pitch known as a “slurve” is a “curve” ball thrown as if it were a “slider”, hence the name.

20 __ facto : IPSO

“Ipso facto” is Latin, a phrase meaning “by the fact itself”. It describes something that is a direct consequence of a particular act, as opposed to something that is the result of some subsequent event. For example, my father was born in Dublin and was an Irish citizen, ipso facto. My son was born in California and is an Irish citizen by virtue of being the son of an Irish citizen (i.e. “not” ipso facto).

21 Genesis name : PHIL

English musician Phil Collins is best known for his work as drummer with the rock group Genesis, as well as for his solo career. In fact, Collins is often grouped with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, two other artists who had tremendous solo success after careers with very well-known bands.

25 Musician André with four Oscars and 11 Grammys : PREVIN

André Previn was a pianist, conductor and composer who was born in Berlin, Germany but who grew up in Los Angeles. Previn won four Oscars for his work on the musical scores of “Gigi” (1958), “Porgy & Bess” (1959), “Irma la Douce” (1963) and “My Fair Lady” (1964). Previn was married five times, most famously probably to actress Mia Farrow.

29 Preach : EVANGELIZE

In the Christian tradition, an Evangelist is one of the writers of the four gospels: Mathew, Mark, Luke or John. Also in the Christian tradition, an evangelist is someone who spreads the gospel. More generally, an evangelist is an enthusiastic advocate of any cause.

30 Classic 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.

32 Org. headquartered at the RFK Building in D.C. : DOJ

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) was created in 1870 by the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, although the office of the Attorney General (AG) had been operating since 1789. The DOJ Building in Washington, D.C. was completed in 1935, and was named the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in 2001.

39 OB or GYN : DOC

A medical doctor (MD) might be an expert in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN).

45 Seán whose first play debuted at the Abbey Theatre : O’CASEY

Seán O’Casey was an Irish playwright noted for his works exploring the plight of the working class in Dublin. O’Casey’s most famous works are “Juno and the Paycock” and “The Plough and the Stars”.

Ireland’s national theater is the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. It was founded in 1904 and is located in Lower Abbey Street, hence the theater’s name. It is most famously associated with great Irish playwrights like W. B. Yeats, Seán O’Casey and J. M. Synge.

46 Dairyland structure : SILO

“Silo” is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English. The term ultimately derives from the Greek “siros”, which described a pit in which one kept corn.

50 Fabric named for an Asian capital : DAMASK

Damask was originally a weaving technique associated with the Byzantine and Islamic weaving centers of the Middle Ages. “Damask” comes from the name of Damascus, which was a major trading city at that time.

56 Bluegrass legend Scruggs : EARL

Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt are the musicians who founded the bluegrass band called the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948.

58 Actress Fanning : ELLE

Actress Elle Fanning first appeared on film in the 2001 movie “I Am Sam”, in which she played a younger version of her sister and fellow actor Dakota Fanning (a 2-year-old version of the character). One of her first major roles was Aurora/Sleeping Beauty alongside Angelina Jolie in the 2014 movie “Maleficent”. Fannin reprised the role in the 2019 sequel “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”.

60 Ellipsis trio : DOTS

An ellipsis (plural “ellipses”) is a series of dots (usually three) used to indicate an omission in some text. The term comes from the Greek word “élleipsis”, which means “omission”.

61 Electric key : FOB

A fob is attached to an object to make it easier to access. And so, a key fob is a chain attached to a key so that it can be retrieved easily. There are also watch fobs, and the pocket in a vest in which a watch can be placed is called a fob. In fact, the original use of the term “fob” was for a small pocket in which one could carry valuables.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Dexterous : DEFT
5 __+Zoe: fashion brand named for the founder’s children : NIC
8 Grills, briefly : BBQS
12 Geometric reference line : AXIS
13 Former frosh : SOPHS
15 Prado display : ARTE
16 Small pie : TART
17 Prove useful : AVAIL
18 Lean : LIST
19 Matchmaker who’s popular in all 50 states? : AMERICA’S CUPID (from “America’s Cup”)
22 Credit card fig. : APR
23 Initials for William or Kate : HRH
24 Transcript fig. : GPA
27 Barriers on the ocean floor? : DEEP-SEA DIVIDERS (from “deep-sea divers”)
33 Record producer Gotti who created the BET series “Tales” : IRV
34 Scent : ODOR
35 Travels to an away match? : ELOPES
36 Soho stroller : PRAM
38 Shaver : LAD
40 “By __!” : JOVE
41 Pacific Rim nation : PANAMA
44 Pastoral chorus : MOOS
47 Transgression : SIN
48 Tearing the felt while attempting to put spin on the ball, e.g.? : ENGLISH ACCIDENT (from “English accent”)
51 HST successor : DDE
52 UPC kin : SKU
53 __ carte : A LA
54 Demand from a suspicious bartender, and an apt title for this puzzle : LET’S SEE SOME ID!
61 Texter’s hedge : FWIW
63 Midwest hub : O’HARE
64 Plus : ALSO
65 Flow slowly : OOZE
66 __ friends : FURRY
67 Deck chair piece : SLAT
68 Honey bunch : BEES
69 Counterpart of “thx” : PLS
70 “Lonely Boy” rock band the Black __ : KEYS

Down

1 Cellular plan component : DATA
2 Prof’s preparation : EXAM
3 Marshmallow blackener : FIRE
4 Sandal style : T-STRAP
5 Bossa __ : NOVA
6 Brewpub pours : IPAS
7 Affectedly elegant : CHICHI
8 Westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands : BALI
9 Yoga backbend also called Setu Bandha Sarvangasana : BRIDGE POSE
10 Liq. measures : QTS
11 Firm : SET
13 Revered : SACRED
14 Hybrid breaking pitch : SLURVE
20 __ facto : IPSO
21 Genesis name : PHIL
25 Musician André with four Oscars and 11 Grammys : PREVIN
26 Approval : ASSENT
27 Went down a bit : DIPPED
28 Gofer trip : ERRAND
29 Preach : EVANGELIZE
30 Classic ISP : AOL
31 Gossip fodder : DRAMA
32 Org. headquartered at the RFK Building in D.C. : DOJ
37 Lousy start? : MAL-
39 OB or GYN : DOC
42 Fine spray : MIST
43 Requests from : ASKS OF
45 Seán whose first play debuted at the Abbey Theatre : O’CASEY
46 Dairyland structure : SILO
49 Keep from spreading : HUSH UP
50 Fabric named for an Asian capital : DAMASK
55 Some sheep : EWES
56 Bluegrass legend Scruggs : EARL
57 Isn’t perfect : ERRS
58 Actress Fanning : ELLE
59 “My stars!” : I SAY!
60 Ellipsis trio : DOTS
61 Electric key : FOB
62 Heartache : WOE

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