Crossword by: Paul Hunsberger and edited by Rich Norris
Welcome to the Sunday August 4th 2013 LA Times crossword answers! Today’s theme is “Lip Service” or according to 115 Across could also be titled ‘Stolen Kisses’. If you add an ‘x’ to the themed answers you will get a common phrase or well know name. Here are the themed answers:
23 Across. Intuition of some “Star Wars” villains? THE SITH SENSE or THE SIXTH SENSE
34 Across. Weaknesses of a prof’s helper? TA LIABILITIES or TAX LIABILITIES
59 Across. Holiday elves who can’t get along? ARCTIC FOES or ARCTIC FOXES
81 Across. Coughing and sneezing? STATE OF FLU or STATE OF FLUX
98 Across. Fashion collaboration of actor James and a one-named rock-‘n’-roller? MASON-DION LINE or MASON DIXON LINE
22 Down. “Stop adding milk and sugar to these brews!”? DON’T MESS WITH TEAS or DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS
32D. Dutch South Africans in need of exercise? HEAVYWEIGHT BOERS or HEAVYWEIGHT BOXERS
Across Answers
1. Sphere of influence: AMBIT – is defined as the area, scope, limits or boundary of something. ie. the sphere or circumference of influence something might have.
6. Making waves:ROWING
12. Inbox clogger: SPAM – no not that delicious and nutritious canned meat! We are talking about email SPAM here. SPAM in relation to email doesn’t actually stand for anything as an acronym but could be a metaphor for the canned meat SPAM possible meaning ‘Some Parts are Meat’ as only some parts of the email you are receiving is actually meat worth chewing.
16. Solstice mo.: DEC – in the Northern Hemisphere the Winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) ocurrs in December and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, the Summer solstice (the longest day of the year). For people experiencing Winter it is a comforting feeling knowing that the worst of Winter should now be behind them and for people enjoying Summer to frolic and play in the hot weather that remains.
19. Video game princess: ZELDA – The Legend of Zelda by Nintendo has been their best selling action series of all time.
20. One making bread EARNER
21. Wiry-coated terrier AIREDALE
23. Intuition of some “Star Wars” villains: THE SITH SENSE
25. Bullied: HECTORED
26. Concern of airport pickup, briefly: ETA – stands for Estimated Time of arrival.
27. Good things to keep about you: WITS
28. Bob or weave: COIF
30. Actress Campbell: NEVE
31. Lint roller target, maybe: CAT HAIR
34. Weaknesses of a prof’s helper?: TALIABILITIES
39. Stage direction: ENTER
41. Back: REAR
42. Purell target: GERM
43. Showy display: ECLAT
46. Church official: DEACON
48. Penniless one: HAVE NOT
52. Surrendered: WAIVED
54. Hibachi residue: ASH
55. Help-wanted ad periods: AFTS
57. Not all: SOME
58. Daytimes ___: EMMY
59. Holiday elves who can’t get along?: ARTIC FOES
63. Maine character in Narnia: ASLAN – means ‘lion’ in Turkish and is also ancient title given to rulers and emperors in the Ottoman and Persian empires.
64. Gush: SPEW
65. Posthumous 2009 George Harrison album: LET IT ROLL
66. To the sky: UPWARD
67. British Heiress ___ Khan: JEMIMA
69. Stud spot: EAR
70. Find on the dial: TUNE IN
72. Ten armed species: SQUIDS
74. Goalie’s protective wear: NECK GUARD
77. See 85-Across: TRUE
80. “Super Mario” brother: LUIGI: here’s a fun fact about our happy little character ‘Super Mario’. Did you know he was originally going to be called ‘Jump Man’? Whilst getting ready to release the US version of the game Nintendo were trying to think of a more exciting name. Somewhere in the process they got a call from their landlord who’s name was Mario and decided to name him that. It’s not sure if it was meant as a compliment or an insult or they just liked the name Mario.
81. Coughing and sneezing: STATE OF FLU
82. Flashy promotion: HYP
83. Hardly hard up: RICH
84. Wisecrack: JEST
85. With 77-Across. “Amen!”: TOO
86 Call for: ENTAIL
88. Cowboy hat: STETSON – The Stetson hat was created by John B. Stetson in 1865. He decided to start his business with $100 in hand. He rented a place to work and bought $10 worth of fur and began making the most iconic cowboy hat of all time.
90. Doyle’s narrator: WATSON – The series of Sherlock Holmes books written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was originally going to be named Sherrinford. It is unsure of why he changed the name however Doyle was an avid cricket player and watcher. At the time there was a player named Sherlock so this may have been an influence.
93. Wee: EENSY
94. Tug or tub: BOAT
95. Roof rim: EAVE
96. Led Zeppelin’s “Whole ___ Love”: LOTTA – Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeplin is the opening track on their magnificent second album Led Zepelin II and in the US it was their first ever single to go Gold.
98. Fashion collaboration of actor James and a one-named rock-‘n’-roller?: MASON-DION LINE Mason-Dixon Line (a line surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to end a border dispute between newly established British colonies and colonial Americans.
103. Much-kneaded treatment?: MASSAGE
107. Up to it: ABLE
108. Little cut: NICK
109. Like eyes “you can’t hide,” in an Eagles song: LYIN: The lyrics to song ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ came about as the Eagles were a struggling band in LA. It was and still is a common fact that many rich, older men have beautiful younger wives and those young wives often have affairs. The guys were in a bar one evening and observed a beautiful young woman with an older overweight man a couple of steps behind her and one of them said “look at her, she can’t even hide those lyin’ eyes”. They then all had a lightbulb moment for a song and grabbed whatever they could to write down the lyrics.
111. Time chunk ERA
112. “Ghastly grim and ancient” poem title critter: THE RAVEN: Written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1845, The Raven is a dark and edgy piece and could possibly be considered one of the first super hero narratives ever written.
115. Unexpected affection, and an alternate title for this puzzle: STOLEN KISSES
120. Jersey output: COWS MILK – The word Jersey just conjures up images of dairy goodness. There is a good reason for this and that is the Jersey cow. Jersey cows were first bred in the Channel Island of Jersey and the delicious milk that it produces is usually much higher in butterfat than other breeds of dairy cattle.
121. Fancy: ORNATE
122. Verbatim line: QUOTE
123 MD office posting: HRS
124. Skip over: PASS
125. Monster’s nickname: NESSIE – The first sighting of the elusive Lochness Monster is debatable. Some say it was on April 14th, 1933 by a couple driving by and seeing something unidentifiable in the water, but there is also evidence going as far back as 565AD that St. Columba spotted Nessie whilst taking a dip in the Loch.
126. Flower part: SEPAL
Down Answers
1. Montezuma subject AZTEC
2. Maestro Zubin MEHTA
3. Pasture cry BLEAT
4. Dog tags, say IDS
5. __ chi ch’uan TAI
6. Put back to work REHIRED
7. Brewer’s kiln OAST
8. Pull with effort WREST
9. Country stopover INN
10. 19- and 80-Across letters NES
11. Like Keats’s urn GRECIAN
12. Indian title: SAHIB – the word ‘sahib’ has it’s origins in Arabic but has been integrated into many other languages and cultures including Indian. It basically means the holder of power or the master.
13. Battles with thrown weapons PIE FIGHTS
14. Orbit bit ARC
15. 49-Down, as a rookie MET
16. “Is this too big a chance?” DARE I
17. French student ELEVE
18. Hands over CEDES
22. “Stop adding milk and sugar to these brews!”? DON’T MESS WITH TEAS
24. Noodlehead TWIT
29. Boathouse item OAR
32. Dutch South Africans in need of exercise? HEAVYWEIGHT BOERS
33. Get in the game ANTE
35. Pritzker Prize winner ARCHITECT
36. Name of 13 popes LEO
37. Green expanses LEAS
38. Journalist Kupcinet IRV
40. Chemical experiment substances REACTANTS
43. Pasture moms EWES
44. Tent site CAMP
45. Gimlet ingredient LIME JUICE
47. European wine region ASTI
49. Holder of numerous pitching records who never won a Cy Young Award NOLAN RYAN
50. General Bradley OMAR
51. Lean TEND
53. Some surrealist works DALIS
55. IM pioneer AOL
56. Was embarrassed FELT A FOOL
60. Sleep lab letters REM
61. Coot relative CRAKE
62. Overlooked FORGOTTEN
63. O’Neill’s “The Hairy __” APE
66. Inordinate UNDUE
68. Early 16th-century date MDI
71. High-tech address URL
72. Some 35mm cameras SLRS
73. Pack it in QUIT
75. Scarf down EAT
76. Crop circle makers, supposedly UFOS
78. “Breaking __ Hard to Do” UP IS
79. Long and slimy EELY
81. Guards SENTINELS
84. Fonda’s “The Grapes of Wrath” role JOAD
87. Acrobats’ gear NETS
89. Lamont, to Fred Sanford SON
90. Continues strolling WALKS ON
91. Prefix with fauna AVI-
92. One who is honored and hopeful NOMINEE
95. Cause of an env. bulge ENC
97. Do miserably, in slang TANK
98. Stick in a box MATCH
99. Not fancy at all ABHOR
100. Gobs SLEWS
101. Porcine patter OINKS
102. Those girls, in Oaxaca ELLAS
104. Memorable moralist AESOP
105. Actress Scacchi GRETA
106. Gallery item EASEL
110. “Tintin in Tibet” creature YETI
113. “MTV Unplugged” lack AMP
114. Through VIA
116. Uno e due TRE
117. Clip-__: ties ONS
118. High nos. for rocket scientists? IQS
119. Try to take to the cleaners? SUE
Leave a Reply