Here are the answers to the Friday November 8th LA Times crossword puzzle as well as some interesting trivia and fun facts to enjoy.
Across Answers
1. Something to pass or lower THE BAR
The term “the bar” pertains to the legal profession, which came from European courtrooms in the olden days when they used furniture to divide or bar the room into two, to separate the court from the spectators during the trial
7. Crocus kin IRIS
The Iris is a very popular garden flower, and it takes its name from the Greek word “Iris”, which translates to rainbow.
11. Samosa veggie PEA
A samosa is a tasty Indian delicacy either baked or fried (though fried most of the time) and filled with ground lamb, chicken, or beef, and different kinds of vegetables such as potatoes, lentils, onions, and peas.
14. Biblical dancer SALOME
Salome is a character in the New Testament. She was the daughter of Herodias, and is known as a dangerous seductress through her dancing.
15. Item in a musician’s kit SIDE DRUM
The side drum is another term to the snare drum.
17. Western, e.g. OMELET
The Western omelet would usually consist of green bell peppers, onions, and ham.
18. Kind and caring ALL HEART
19. Stadium section for charity workers? VOLUNTEER TIER
21. Keats work ODE
John Keats, the famous English poet, had written a total of six odes: “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, “Ode on Melancholy”, “Ode on Indolence”, “Ode to a Nightingale”, “Ode to Psyche”, and “To Autumn.” The first five mentioned were written in the spring. The last one was written in September.
23. Steam IRE
24. Calypso relative SKA
Ska was so popular back in the fifties, in Jamaica where it originated from. It was also the precursor to reggae.
25. Keats’ “Sylvan historian” URN
26. Really old hardwood? ANTIQUE TEAK
32. “Phooey!” RATS!
34. Give a damn? CURSE
35. Disney’s “Bambi”? WHITETAIL TALE
Bambi is an animated drama film produced by Walt Disney in 1942. It was based on Austrian Felix Salten’s “Bambi, A Life In The Woods.”
41. Paralyze with dense mist, as an airport FOG IN
42. “Horse Feathers” family name MARX
Horse Feathers was a 1932 comedy film that starred the Marx Brothers: Chico, Groucho, Harpo, and Zippo. It also starred Thelma Todd.
44. “Merrie Melodies” theme song? CARTOON TUNE
Merrie Melodies ran from 1931 to 1969, produced by the famous Warner Brothers.
50. One of two single-digit Yankee uniform numbers that aren’t retired SIX
51. A, in Acapulco UNA
Una is the letter “A” in Spanish
52. “Mazel __!” TOV
Mazel Tov means “good luck” in Hebrew, and is a Jewish phrase that is being used to congratulate a person on a significant or happy occasion.
53. Ranch handle TEX
54. Emperor Justinian as a young man? BYZANTINE TEEN
During Justinian’s reign from 527 to 565, he tried to revive the greatness of the empire and reconquer its western half. He was also the last Roman Emperor to speak in Latin.
61. “That’s my intention” I HOPE I DO
62. Around the bend, so to speak INSANE
65. “Flavor” singer/songwriter TORI AMOS
Tori Amos, with her golden voice and uber cool personality, was voted as home coming queen in high school, as well as choir flirt, and the person most likely to succeed. And she did.
66. Beat badly PUMMEL
67. Letters to the Coast Guard SOS
The Morse Code is still being used today, despite the fact that it was developed more than a hundred and sixty years ago. It’s very useful for sending out SOS signals using a flash light, a mirror, or a radio.
USCG stands for the United States Coast Guard. The USCG was founded in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton, and was originally known as the Revenue Cutter Service.
68. TV component? TELE-
69. Quick SPEEDY
Down Answers
1. Chicken general? TSO
General Tso’s chicken is sometimes called Governor Tso’s, General Tao’s, and different other variations of the name. It has a sweet and slightly spicy flavor to it, deep fried to perfection. It is often found in Chinese restaurants in North America.
2. Boar’s Head product HAM
3. Like November, in a way ELEVENTH
4. Simple tie BOLO
5. First name in flight AMELIA
Amelia Earhart was a pioneer in aviation, and was the very 1st female in history to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo. She also wrote books about her experiences in flying, and was noted for helping form the first female pilots association, The Ninety Nines. However, in July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean, while trying to make a circumnavigational flight using a Lockheed Model 10 Electra. She disappeared along with her co-pilot, Fred Noonan. All search efforts turned out futile as they were never found.
6. Library requirement RETURN
7. “The wolf __ the door” IS AT
8. Get to RILE
9. Sit in traffic, say IDLE
One of the most annoying things, don’t you think?
10. Very, in Vienna SEHR
Vienna is the capital of Austria. It is also its largest city, and one of the country’s nine states. It is the seventh largest city in the European Union with 1.757 million.
11. Words of tribute PRAISE
12. Golden State motto EUREKA
“Eureka” is California’s state motto. It means “I have found it!” in Greek.
13. California Zephyr operator AMTRAK
The California Zephyr passes through the following states: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. It has a route length of 2,438 miles. It started its operations in 1983.
16. “Law & Order: SVU” rank DET
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit first appeared in 1999, as a spinoff of “Law & Order.” It is centered on the SVU’s detectives of the sixteenth precinct of the NYPD. As of 2013, the show is now on its 15th season.
20. Bottom line NET
21. Word of possession OUR
22. Western challenge DRAW
27. Terse refusal I CANę¢
28. Who, in Paris QUI
29. Item shortened at bitly.com URL
Bitly.com is where you want to go if you want a long URL (they usually are) to be shortened so it could look better when you’re posting it to your blog or social networking profiles.
30. Md. hours EST
The state of Maryland is on Eastern Standard Time
31. Cooperative group TEAM
33. Cake recipe word SIFT
36. As well TOO
37. Massage beneficiary EGO
Ego is actually a Latin word that means “I” or “self.” It is also one of Sigmun Freud’s theoretical constructions which pertains to the individual’s organized and realistic part which serves as the mediator between the id and the super-ego.
38. Its atomic number is 50 TIN
Tin, in the periodic table of elements, has the chemical symbol Sn.
39. Common sorting basis LAST NAME
40. Lakeside Pennsylvania city ERIE
Lake Erie is one in North America’s 5 Great Lakes. It is also the 4th largest in terms of size. It was named after the Native Americans’ Erie tribe, who lived along the southern part of its shores.
43. Love letters? XXX
An “x” is a kiss, and an “o” is a hug. An xxx means lots of kisses.
44. Ark units CUBITS
45. “As I was sayin’ …” ANYHOO
Anyhoo is a slang term for “anyway”
46. They may be straight RAZORS
47. 4 x 4, briefly UTE
48. Policy at some restaurants NO TIPS
49. Align carefully EVEN UP
55. Prefix with culture API-
Apiculture is beekeeping, or the maintenance of the colonies of honey bees.
56. Bar order NEAT
57. “The devourer of all things”: Ovid TIME
58. Statue of Vishnu, e.g. IDOL
The supreme God of Hinduism is Vishnu. He is also known to his devotees as the Hari and Narayana.
59. Oenophile’s criterion NOSE
An Oenophile is a lover of wine. Oenophiles are also known for their great understanding of wine, and are considered experts.
60. __ Squalor: Lemony Snicket character ESME
Esme is Count Olaf’s girlfriend in “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” She used to be a stage actress and is obsessed with high fashion.
63. Composer Rorem NED
Ned Rorem is a diarist and a composer from the US. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for Air Music: Ten Etudes of Orchestra.
64. English cathedral city ELY
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