Here are the answers to the Saturday November 9th LA Times crossword puzzle as well as some interesting trivia and fun facts to enjoy.
Across Answers
1. Long-odds track bets PERFECTAS
A Perfecta is a type of bet in which the person betting picks the 1st and 2nd winners in order. It is also sometimes called an “exacta.”
10. Early launch rocket ATLAS
The 1st Atlas missile was designed in the US during the late fifties, and was used as an intercontinental ballistic missile. It makes use of RP-1 and liquid oxygen to run. 1962 and 1963 saw its 1st launch of 4 astronauts to orbit our planet.
15. Marketing resource EMAIL LIST
16. Gear part TOOTH
17. Small-time PENNY ANTE
Penny Ante is a poker term wherein the stakes are low and frivolous.
18. All, in Assisi TUTTO
Tutto is an Italian word that means “all.”
19. Piece of work ERG
“Erg” is an energy unit that comes from “ergon,” a Greek word that means “work.”
20. Questionable strategy for a runner? SMEAR TACTIC
Smear tactic, or smear campaign, is a strategy among politicians wherein they release information which can harm an individual or a group’s reputation. Kind of a norm among political candidates, isn’t it?
I’m not pointing fingers…
22. Tastes SIPS
23. Kept from spreading IN CHECK
24. Media __ CIRCUS
27. Kind of colorful shirt ALOHA
28. Bad blood ODIUM
Odium is a strong, common hate directed to an individual because of their actions.
29. Stale quality TRITENESS
33. Fire ZEAL
34. A cup may be one PRIZE
35. Computer menu option EDIT
36. Polite assent YES PLEASE
38. Scrubber’s target GRIME
For best results, use lemon or vinegar with baking soda and you’ll see MAGIC!
39. Comedian Fields TOTIE
Totie Fields was a popular comedian in the US during the sixties and seventies. SHe was seen by Ed Sullivan performing at New York’s Copacabana and asked her to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. She also guested on The Mike Douglas Show & The Merv Griffin Show. She also appeared in Here’s Lucy. She died in 1978 due to a fatal pulmonary embolism. She was 48 years old.
40. Capitulate CAVE IN
41. Soil test measure PH LEVEL
pH is a term in chemistry that is used to measure a solution’s basicity or acidity. A pH level of 7 is considered neutral. Anything above it is base, and anything below 7 is considered acid.
44. Reduce PARE
45. Golf tournament display LEADERBOARD
47. Cristal maker BIC
Societe Bic manufactures disposable consumer items like ballpoint pens, magnets, lighters, and razors among others. The Bic Cristal ballpoint pen is perhaps one of their most famous products. It’s disposable and inexpensive.
50. “__ Smith and Jones”: ’70s TV Western ALIAS
Alias Smith And Jones aired from 1971 to 73 on the ABC Network. It starred Pete Duel and Ben Murphy, as cousins Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry who were reforming outlaws.
51. Available to order ON THE MENU
53. “__ honest …” ILL BE
54. Like a tense person’s teeth? SET ON EDGE
55. One who’s doomed TOAST
56. Read impatiently SKIP AHEAD
Down Answers
1. Latino Muppet prawn PEPE
Pepe the King Prawn’s full name is Pepino Rodrigo. He is Spanish and has a heavy accent. He usually ends his sentences with “Okay?” He doesn’t like to be called a shrimp, and when somebody does by mistake, he gets fired up.
2. It calls for immediate attn. EMER
Emer is short for “emergency.”
3. Buzzed RANG
4. “Jaws” omen FIN
If you haven’t seen “Jaws” yet, you’re missing out. This film was made in 1975 (by no less than themovie geniuses Stephen Spielberg) yet it still sends chills up and down my spine everytime I try to watch it. Definitely a “must see” movie. Just don’t watch it before you hit the beach–guaranteed a mood killer.
5. Mythological paradise ELYSIUM
The Elysium Fields, (also called the Elysian Fields) is an afterlife concept, different from Hades’ realm. It’s where the gods and heroes live, as well as the righteous, and they thrive in happiness and blessedness.
6. Woodworking devices CLAMPS
7. They have points TINES
8. Dog star ASTA
Asta is a wire hair fox terrier who starred in many films in the thirties, most notable was his performance in The Thin Man series. His name in real life was Skippy but he became so famous because of the movie that it was permanently changed to Asta.
9. Make safe for use, in a way STERILIZE
10. Diplomacy figure ATTACHE
An attaché, in diplomatic terms, is an individual who is assigned or is a part of the administrative staff of someone who is higher in position of a certain agency or service.
11. Bring up something sensitive TOUCH A NERVE
12. Singer Lenya LOTTE
Lotte Lenya was a singer, an actress, and a diseuse (or a dramatic singer) from Austria. She was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Rosa Klebb in “From Russia With Love”, a James Bond movie in 1963. She died of Cancer in 1981. She was 83 years old.
13. Where to see some old clothes ATTIC
14. Culture __ SHOCK
21. Fed. security T-NOTE
T-Note means Treasury Note. It’s a type of government debt, and they have a maturity of two to ten years.
22. Bodybuilding goal SCULPTED ABS
Six-pack, anyone?
24. Conspiratorial COZY
To “cozy up” with someone, means to be extra nice to someone to increase their influence.
25. French bean product? IDEE
“Idee” is French for “idea,” produced by the head, or the “bean.”
26. River inlets RIAS
27. Come about ARISE
29. Head out West? TRAIL BOSS
30. Emmy winner Falco EDIE
Edie Falco became famous for her role as Carmela Soprano in The Sopranos. She now plays the starring role in Nurse Jackie.
31. __ Valley SIMI
The Simi Valley is located in Southern California and is surrounded by hills and mountains.
32. Uzi predecessor STEN
The Sten gun was usually the gun of choice among resistance groups during the WWII and the Korean war because of how cheap it was to produce.
34. Actor Gallagher PETER
Peter Gallagher became known for his classic good looks and trademark thick eyebrows. He isn’t just an actor, he’s also a writer and a musician. He is also an avid golfer.
37. Tennis shutout LOVE SET
“Love set” in Tennis means that the loser has the score of “0”, or zero.
38. Floral-sounding Los Angeles suburb GARDENA
Gardena is located in LA county’s South Bay, and has a population of almost 59 thousand according to the 2010 census. It is where the largest Japanese community can be found in the US.
40. Sonic server CARHOP
A carhop is a waiter or waitress in drive-in restaurants.
41. Braid PLAIT
42. First response to a call HELLO
Well that really depends. Sometimes I also say “Hi..” or sometimes, I just don’t answer at all.
43. Former boxer Ali LAILA
Laila Amaria Ali is a classic example of “Like Father, Like Daughter.” She is the youngest daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, but didn’t decide to become a boxer until she was eighteen years old, and didn’t have her first fight until she was 21 years old. When she told her dad she wanted to become a boxer, he wasn’t too happy about it, as he thought it was too dangerous a sport for women. But when she assured him that she would only be fighting women and not men, he eventually condeded. She became the Super Middleweight Champion in 2002 and in 2005. She retired in 2007, after knocking out Gwendolyn O’Neill in the first round.
44. Page of music PATTI
Patti Page was best known for singing “The Tennessee Waltz.” She’s recorded numerous songs and became famous for her silky voice. She has recorded more than a hundred albums through her entire singing career.
46. Short run, for short ONE-K
47. Eliot title character BEDE
George Eliot’s first novel was Adam Bede, published in 1859. George Eliot was actually just a pseudonym used by Mary Ann Evans, a translator, journalist, and novelist from England. Her other famous works were “The Mill On The Floss, Silas Marner, and Daniel Deronda, among others.
48. “Listen to Your Heart” singer in the musical “Young Frankenstein” INGA
Young Frankenstein was one of the movies directed by Mel Brooks. It was released in 1974and starred Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle, and Gene Hackman, among others. This comedy film was a parody of the horror film genres of that time, particularly “Frankenstein”, a film adaptation of the classic novel by Mary Shelley, published anonymously in 1818.
49. Prompted CUED
52. “Big deal” MEH
Leave a Reply