LA Times Crossword 29 Dec 23, Friday

Constructed by: Zachary David Levy
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Gran’s a Ma!

Themed answers are anagrams of some words in the corresponding clues. My kind of puzzle!

17A The worst description of poor purses? : PROSPEROUS (anagram of “poor purses”)
25A Completely unlike a docile man? : DEMONIACAL (anagram of “a docile man”)
36A The furthest thing from tidier rooms? : DORMITORIES (anagram of “tidier rooms”)
50A The opposite of one who is not against? : ANTAGONIST (anagram of “not against”)
59A Treated with a decided lack of due respect? : PERSECUTED (anagram of “due respect”)

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Bill’s time: 7m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10 1040 ID figs. : SSNS

Form 1040, issued by the IRS, is the “US Individual Income Tax Return”. It was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just keeps on giving, or should I say “taking” …?

14 Place to perform : VENUE

A venue is a specified locale used for an event. The term “venue” came into English via French from the Latin “venire” meaning “to come”. So, a “venue” is a place to which people “come” for an event.

20 Breading choice : PANKO

Panko is a breadcrumb used in some Japanese cuisine, primarily as a crunchy coating for fried foods.

22 Rx writer : DOC

There seems to be some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol “Rx” that’s used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter’s blessing to help a patient recover.

32 Simu of “Kim’s Convenience” : LIU

Simu Liu is a Chinese-born Canadian actor. One of his more famous roles was the title character in the Marvel Comics 2021 superhero movie “Shang-Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings”.

“Kim’s Convenience” is a sitcom that aired on Canadian television from 2016 to 2021. Based on a 2011 play of the same name by Iris Choi, it is about a Korean-Canadian family who run a convenience store in Toronto. The show was canceled after five seasons, but it did spawn a spin-off sitcom called “Strays” that aired for two seasons.

33 Italian birthplace of Paganini : GENOA

Genoa is a seaport in the very north of Italy, in the region known as Liguria. One of Genoa’s most famous sons was Christopher Columbus. Another was the violinist Niccolò Paganini.

Niccolò Paganini was a famed Italian violinist and composer. Paganini was perhaps the most celebrated violinist of the 19th century. His most famous composition has to be his Caprice No. 24 in A minor, Op. 1. This work is the basis for many derivative masterpieces by other composers, including the wonderful “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by Rachmaninoff, and the “Variations on a Theme of Paganini” by Brahms.

34 Element in some smoky whiskies : PEAT

Many whiskies are noted for a peaty, smoky flavor. That taste is introduced when the malted grain is dried over a peat-heated fire.

35 Filmmaker Lee : ANG

Ang Lee made history at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002 when he won the Best Director award for “Brokeback Mountain.” He became the first Asian person to win the award and the first non-white person to win in the category.

42 Swimmer Torres who won 12 Olympic medals : DARA

Dara Torres is a US swimmer who has won twelve Olympic medals. Torres is also the only American swimmer to have competed in five Olympic Games, and is the oldest swimmer to have made it onto the Olympic team, at 41.

48 Spartan : AUSTERE

Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece that was famous for her military might. Spartan children had a tough upbringing, and newborn babies were bathed in wine to see if the child was strong enough to survive. Every child was presented to a council of elders that decided if the baby was suitable for rearing. Those children deemed too puny were executed by tossing them into a chasm. We’ve been using the term “spartan” to describe something self-disciplined or austere since the 1600s.

50 The opposite of one who is not against? : ANTAGONIST (anagram of “not against”)

The protagonist is the principal character in a work of literature. The antagonist is the main character opposing the protagonist. The term “protagonist” comes from the Greek “protos” (first) and “agonistes” (actor, character).

54 Size for fries : LARGE

French fries are called “chips” back in Ireland where I grew up. And what we call “chips” in the US are known as “crisps” in Britain and Ireland. In France, French fries are known as “pommes frites” (fried potatoes).

55 Cut a rug : DANCE

To cut a rug is to dance. The etymology of “cut a rug” isn’t clearcut (pun!), but the wear caused by repeatedly dancing on a rug seems to be the culprit in one form or another.

64 Promontory : CAPE

By definition, a promontory is a raised mass of land or rack that projects into low-lying land or a body of water. In the latter case, a promontory can be called a peninsula.

65 Pennsylvania city across from Presque Isle State Park : ERIE

Presque Isle State Park is off the coast of Erie, Pennsylvania and sits on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie. The name “Presque Isle” translates from French as “peninsula”, or more literally “almost an island”.

69 Madonna hit that begins, “Strike a pose” : VOGUE

“Vogue” is a 1990 record co-written and recorded by Madonna. The song was inspired by the vogue dance style, which was popular at the time in the underground gay scene in New York City.

Down

1 2023 World Series honor for Corey Seager : MVP

MLB shortstop Corey Seager was drafted in 2015 by the LA Dodgers, for whom he played for six seasons. He signed with the Texas Rangers in 2021 for $325 million dollars over 10 years, a record contract for the Rangers.

3 “Double Fantasy” singer : ONO

“Double Fantasy” is an album released by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on 17 November 1980. Three weeks later, John Lennon was gunned down by Mark Chapman outside Lennon’s apartment building in New York City.

4 Astrological delineation : CUSP

The word “cusp” comes from the Latin “cuspis” meaning “spear, point”. In the world of astrology, a cusp is an imaginary line separating two signs of the zodiac. For example, some whose birthday is between April 16 and April 26 is said to have been born “on the cusp” between the signs Aries and Taurus.

5 __ filter : HEPA

Air filters can be specified as “HEPA”, with the acronym standing for “high-efficiency particulate absorption”. To be given the name “HEPA”, the filter must remove 99.7% of particles with a size of 0.3 microns or larger.

8 Tempe sch. : ASU

Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

9 Scouring brand : S.O.S

S.O.S is a brand of scouring pads made from steel wool impregnated with soap. The product was invented as a giveaway by an aluminum pot salesman in San Francisco called Ed Cox. His wife gave it the name “S.O.S” as an initialism standing for “Save Our Saucepans”. Note the punctuation! There is no period after the last S, and that is deliberate. When Cox went to register the trademark, he found that “S.O.S.” could not be a trademark because it was used as an international distress signal. So he dropped the period after the last S, and I hope made a lot of money for himself and his wife.

10 Retro tone : SEPIA

Sepia is that rich, brown-gray color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish. Sepia ink was commonly used for writing and drawing as far back as ancient Rome and ancient Greece. The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.

11 SoulCycle offering : SPIN CLASSES

SoulCycle is a fitness company that has been offering pay-as-you-go spin classes. It is headquartered in New York City, and operates all across North America.

13 Shell-less gastropod : SEA SLUG

“Sea slug” is a common term used to describe a whole host of marine invertebrates that bear a resemblance to slugs found on land. Most sea slugs are actually sea snails that have evolved to an existence without a shell.

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.

21 Some plastic fasteners : ZIP TIES

Cable ties (also “zip ties”) are fasteners, usually made from nylon, that are used to hold items together, e.g. electrical cables and wires. Cable ties were invented in 1958, under the brand name “Ty-Rap”, for use in airplane wiring harnesses.

22 Peace Nobelist Hammarskjöld : DAG

Dag Hammarskjöld was the second secretary-general of the United Nations, right up until his death in a plane crash in Rhodesia in 1961. The crash was considered suspicious at the time as the bodyguards were found to have bullet wounds when they died, but this was put down to bullets exploding in the fire after the crash.

27 In the ballpark : NEAR

The phrase “in the ballpark” means “within an acceptable range of approximation”. The term was coined in the mid-fifties as jargon used by scientists developing atomic weapons. The first “ballpark” in this sense was the broad area within which a missile was forecast to return to earth.

29 Liverpool lav : LOO

Liverpool is a large port city in the northwest of England located on the estuary of the River Mersey. With a sense of humor that is typical of the area, people from Liverpool are often called “Liverpudlians”. The term comes from the jocular “Liver-puddle”, a diminutive of “Liver-pool”.

30 Gridiron stat : YARDAGE

We never used the word “gridiron” when I was growing up in Ireland (meaning a grill used for cooking food over an open fire). So, maybe I am excused for taking two decades living in the US to work out that a football field gridiron is so called because the layout of yard lines over the field looks like a gridiron used in cooking.

37 Shortfin shark : MAKO

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”.

38 Turkey neighbor : IRAN

The Iran-Turkey border runs for just over 330 miles, in a roughly north-south direction. It extends from a tripoint with Azerbaijan in the north to a tripoint with Iraq in the south.

40 Ceremonial goblet : CHALICE

A chalice is a large drinking cup often used for drinking during ceremonies. The term “chalice” comes from the Latin word “calix” meaning “cup”. One notable example is the Holy Chalice of the Christian tradition, in which Jesus served wine to his apostles at the Last Supper.

41 Bolted : RAN AWAY

To bolt is to move suddenly, and especially to run away. The verb derives from the fast-moving bolt (the arrow) shot by a crossbow.

45 Evergreen shrub : YEW

The family of trees and shrubs known as yews propagate by producing a seed surrounded by soft, sweet and brightly colored aril. Birds eat the fruit and then disperse the seed in their droppings. The birds leave the seed undamaged, and so are unharmed by the potent poisons taxane and taxol that are found within the seed. The seeds are highly toxic to humans.

48 How cutlery is typically sold : AS A SET

We mainly use the word “cutlery” these days to describe the implements used for eating food, i.e. knives, forks and spoons. In earlier times, the term “cutlery” referred more specifically to “cutting” tools.

49 Alternative magazine name : UTNE

The “Utne Reader” is known for aggregation and republishing of articles on politics, culture and the environment from other sources in the media. It was founded in 1984 by Eric Utne, with management taken over by Eric’s wife Nina Rothschild Utne in 1990.

51 Hong Kong politician and social activist Chow : AGNES

Agnes Chow is a former politician from Hong Kong, and a social activist. She was elected as the youngest-ever member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council in 2016, but was ejected in 2017 and soon sentenced to imprisonment. She was arrested again in 2019 for allegedly participating in unauthorized assembly and served seven months in prison. She moved to Toronto in 2023, announcing that she was placing herself in self-exile.

52 “Luther” star Elba : IDRIS

“Luther” is a British television series starring Idris Elba in the title role as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. There has been talk about developing a US version of “Luther”, and a Russian version was first broadcast in 2016 using the title “Klim”.

56 Video surveillance letters : CCTV

Closed-circuit television (CCTV)

57 Irish capital : EURO

Euro coins carry a design on one side that indicates the country of issue (Ireland uses a harp, for example). Euro banknotes, on the other hand, lack any such indication. The banknotes all feature stylized architectural designs of bridges, arches and gateways that reflect the large number of historic structures found throughout the continent.

60 Bullpen fig. : ERA

Earned run average (ERA)

61 __ sale : TAG

A tag sale is a sale of household belongings, so called because the prices are usually marked on tags attached to the items for sale.

62 Georgetown closer : EDU

Georgetown University is a private school that was founded in 1789 as Georgetown College. It is a Jesuit school, and the oldest Roman Catholic university in the country. Located in Washington, D.C, Georgetown has also produced more US diplomats than any other university in the US.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Sponge (off) : MOOCH
6 Degs. for CFOs : MBAS
10 1040 ID figs. : SSNS
14 Place to perform : VENUE
15 Additionally : ALSO
16 Shiny sticker? : EPEE
17 The worst description of poor purses? : PROSPEROUS (anagram of “poor purses”)
19 __ chips : PITA
20 Breading choice : PANKO
21 Has quite a kick : ZINGS
22 Rx writer : DOC
25 Completely unlike a docile man? : DEMONIACAL (anagram of “a docile man”)
28 Investment firm figure : ANALYST
31 Agent, informally : REP
32 Simu of “Kim’s Convenience” : LIU
33 Italian birthplace of Paganini : GENOA
34 Element in some smoky whiskies : PEAT
35 Filmmaker Lee : ANG
36 The furthest thing from tidier rooms? : DORMITORIES (anagram of “tidier rooms”)
40 Call (out) : CRY
42 Swimmer Torres who won 12 Olympic medals : DARA
43 Literary form : ESSAY
46 Consists of : HAS
47 Letters before a pen name : AKA
48 Spartan : AUSTERE
50 The opposite of one who is not against? : ANTAGONIST (anagram of “not against”)
53 Patch, perhaps : SEW
54 Size for fries : LARGE
55 Cut a rug : DANCE
58 Gloating cry : I WIN!
59 Treated with a decided lack of due respect? : PERSECUTED (anagram of “due respect”)
64 Promontory : CAPE
65 Pennsylvania city across from Presque Isle State Park : ERIE
66 Sports news : TRADE
67 Seers? : EYES
68 Over and done with : PAST
69 Madonna hit that begins, “Strike a pose” : VOGUE

Down

1 2023 World Series honor for Corey Seager : MVP
2 Poetic contraction : O’ER
3 “Double Fantasy” singer : ONO
4 Astrological delineation : CUSP
5 __ filter : HEPA
6 Word with fish or meat : … MARKET
7 Sign of spring : BLOOM
8 Tempe sch. : ASU
9 Scouring brand : S.O.S
10 Retro tone : SEPIA
11 SoulCycle offering : SPIN CLASSES
12 Bottom line : NET GAIN
13 Shell-less gastropod : SEA SLUG
18 Comes to a halt : ENDS
21 Some plastic fasteners : ZIP TIES
22 Peace Nobelist Hammarskjöld : DAG
23 Single : ONE
24 Peppermint pattern : CANDY STRIPE
26 Ice cream cookie : OREO
27 In the ballpark : NEAR
29 Liverpool lav : LOO
30 Gridiron stat : YARDAGE
34 Educational org. : PTA
37 Shortfin shark : MAKO
38 Turkey neighbor : IRAN
39 NYC hrs. : EST
40 Ceremonial goblet : CHALICE
41 Bolted : RAN AWAY
44 Equal : ARE
45 Evergreen shrub : YEW
48 How cutlery is typically sold : AS A SET
49 Alternative magazine name : UTNE
51 Hong Kong politician and social activist Chow : AGNES
52 “Luther” star Elba : IDRIS
56 Video surveillance letters : CCTV
57 Irish capital : EURO
59 Oomph : PEP
60 Bullpen fig. : ERA
61 __ sale : TAG
62 Georgetown closer : EDU
63 Barely passing mark : DEE

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