LA Times Crossword Puzzle Blogging

Wednesday, August 23, 2012  C. C. Burnikel

Theme: 13,203.58 down 68.06 (0.51%)  This is the level of the DOW Jones 30 Industrial Average stock index, commonly referred to simply as the DOW, as of Tuesday's close.  Each of five theme entries contains the name of one of the component corporations, split across two words of the answer.  

16 A. Certain music teacher : VOCAL COACH.  This singing instructor has a heart of Aluminum, indicated by the firm formerly known as the Aluminum Company Of America. [8.82 up 0.02 (0.23%)]

21 A. Outmoded street fixture : COIN TELEPHONE.  Back in the day, this chip maker's products were not at the heart of pay-per-use telecommunications devices. Now, its hardware and software are in computers, disk players, mobile phones, and possibly in places where you would least expect them.  Now you know INTEL. [26.11 down 0.12 (0.46%)]

36 A. Succulent part of a rack : RIB MEAT.  Hmmmm.  The closer to the bone, the sweeter is the meat.  In this RIB cage we find not a heart, but the International Business Machine Corporation. [198.65  down 1.85 (0.92%)]

48 A. International Tennis Hall of Famer who won consecutive US Opens in 1997 and 1998 : PATRICK RAFTER.  News to me, since I don't follow tennis.  Did you know that Oreo cookies and Oscar Meyer meats are brands owned by KRAFT Foods? [41.11up 0.34 (0.83%)]

59 A. Louisiana nickname : THE BIG EASY.  Is N'walins the heart of LA?  Maybe Hatoolah can fill us in.  This is the nickname of that famous city.  Hidden deep in the 9th ward we find the initials of the General Electric Company.  [20.85  down 0.08 (0.38%)]

And the unifier:  67 A. With “the,” much watched index, a different component of which is hidden in 16-, 21-, 36-, 48- and 59-Across : DOW.  The DJIA is one of many indexes presented by DOW Jones and Company. 

Hi, gang!  Company man JazzBumpa here. Are you ready to take stock of this puzzle?  It's a product of our fearless leader.  Let's get down to business.


Across

1. Run headlong into : RAM.  Also a male sheep or goat, and trademark of the Chrysler Corporation.
  
4. Leave in stitches : SLAY.  In a purely comedic sense.

8. Soupçon : DAB.  A little DAB will do ya, it's said.  But Google translate renders "soupçon" as "suspicion."  I'm confused.  Kazie?

11. Ostrich cousins : EMUS.  So far as I know, this large, flightless bird has nothing to do with Eastern Michigan University, alma mater to many in my clan, whose mascot is, inexplicably, the eagle.

13. Henchmen : THUGS.  A thug is a cruel or vicious criminal.  A henchman is a gang member or  gangster's underling.  Not a perfect correspondence.

14. Printing measure : PICA.  A type face size used on some versions of an obsolete device known as the typewriter.  Remember them?  They were never favored by the elite.

15. Speech therapist’s concern : LISP.  I think I underthtand.

18. Crazy about : INTO.  The THUG was crazy about the house he broke INTO.  I'm INTO silly word play.

19. Je ne ____ quoi : SAIS.  I do not know what this means. 

20. Makes, as money : MINTS.  The items of coinage are made at the MINT.

24. Play a good joke on : GET.  Did I GET you with 19A?

25. Moose feature : ANTLER.  What's the best part of this rack?

28. Word with tie or cord : POWER.  POWER tie.  POWER cord. 

31. It may be bleeped out : OATH. 

34. Write to a disk : SAVE.

35. News initials : UPI.  United Press International

39. Mario Brothers letters : NES.  Nintendo Entertainment System.  It's all a game.

40. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC.  This requires a Linc link.

42. "Way to go!" : NICE.  Good job!

43. Insurance worker : AGENT.

45. Study intently : PEER AT.

47. “The Simpsons” shopkeeper : APU.  I'm not a Simpsons watcher.  Leaned about this guy from X-words.  Anyone for some tandoori jerky?

55. __-load: prep for a marathon : CARBO.  Loading up on high carbohydrate, low glycemic index foods as an energy storage strategy the day before an endurance contest, such as a triathlon or marathon.

57. Liposuction target : FLAB.   No images, please.

58. Overdue book penalty : FINE.  They get their book back, my purse is lightened sans liposuction, all is FINE.

61. "Absolutely!" : AMEN.  It's FINE with me.

62. Upbeat : ROSY.  Optimists see the word through upbeat glasses.

63. Farm girls? : MARES.   Horse ladies.  Along with does, they eat oats.

64. Telegram : WIRE.  Back in the day, you could send a kiss by wire.  These days, sexting is more direct.

65. Fleur-de-___ : LYS.   A French flowery symbol.

66. Cabled carrier? : TRAM.   AKA a cable car.

1. Museum piece : RELIC.

2. Acid type : AMINO.

3. “__ paint you a picture?” : MUST I?  You must, you must.

4. Sand bar : SHOAL.  Don't run aground.

5. Desi’s daughter : LUCIE.  Lucie Désirée Arnaz is now 61.

6. Shocked : AGASP.  I am AGASP, AGASP to find . . .

7. Maker of Opium, initially : YSL.   A lady's fragrance by Yves Saint Laurent.

8. ""Unfaithful" Oscar nominee : DIANE LANE.  I didn't know there was an Oscar nomination involved.

9. Money in the bank: Abbr. : ACCT.  Account.

10. Curmudgeonly cries : BAHS.  Humbug!

12. Cleaning aid : SPONGE.

13. Best Buy buy : TV SET.  That's where I got mine.  Costco had it cheaper, I later found out.

14. Shows the way : POINTS.  But nobody pointed me there

17. "Hurry up!" : C'MON.  I would have gone.

22. Okla., before 11/16/1907 : TERR.  Territory.   Per Wikipedia, "territories of the United States are one of the four types of political division of the United States, overseen directly by the federal government of the United States and not any part of a U.S. state."  As Okla. shows us, territories can become states.  Kukla never made it.

23. "Good one" : HA-HA.   Unlike that Kukla bomb.

26. Square, moneywise : EVEN.   Check your ACCT.

27. Sit for a spell : REST.  Conjures on image of rocking chairs on a wrap-around porch.

28. Juicer refuse : PULP.  See 30D.

29. Mayberry boy : OPIE.  Ron Howard, the early years.

30. Napa equipment : WINE PRESS.  The pulp is called "must."

31. Back-tied sash : OBI.  I read this as "black-tied" which caused no end of confusion.  Anyway, there are other options.

32. "Breaking Bad" cable channel : AMC.  Yet another show I've never seen.

33. Place to start a hole : TEE.  Golf. 

37. Kind of verb: Abbr : INTR.  Intransitive.  This is a verb that does not take a direct object or complement.  Frex: "The lion sleeps tonight."

38. Bite with un aperitivo : TAPA.  A drink and appetizer served before a meal. 

41. Cantankerous : CRABBY.  Not like any of us at the corner.

44. Belly laugh : GUFFAW.  

46. Yours, to Yves : ATOI. 

47. Chain with Market Fresh sandwiches : ARBY'S.

49. Lead in to bad news : I FEAR . . .

50. Silicon Valley’s Santa ____ : CLARA.   City and county of the same name.  Do you know the way to San Jose?

51. Deejay Casey : KASEM.  For four amazing decades.

52. Like a wallflower : TIMID.  Such was I in my unspent yout'.

53. Madrid month : ENERO.  January in Spanish.  Not thrilled with this clue.  Last I looked, there were doce meses.

54. Ask for more Money? : RENEW.  Not sure I grok.  If you RENEW a subscription, frex, you have to pay more.  Is this it?

55. PC key : CTRL.  Control.

56. Shout betweenships : AHOY.

60. London hrs. : GMT. Greenwich Mean Time.

Don't mean to be mean, but my time is up.  Not a great day for the Dow, but - despite my nits - this was a fun puzzle.  Hope the time you invested paid some pleasurable dividends.

Cross-posted at The Corner.