google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Aug 3, 2016

Wednesday, August 3, 2016 Joel Elkins and Andrea Carla Michaels

Title: Faster, Higher, Stronger - The Olympic motto. It is my desire to be as idealistic as I can about the Olympics, even given all we know about their seamier side.


Joel and Andrea have brought us a very entertaining and timely puzzle as we approach the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Their puzzle incorporates the six U.S. venues utilized for these quadrennial events.

Theme Reveal:


65. Event whose only six U.S. hosts are answers in this puzzle : THE OLYMPICS - Three U.S. host cities for both Summer and Olympic competition. Three are in the horizontal fill, two in the vertical fill and one city with three words is split between two horizontal fills and one vertical fill. 


Theme answers with notable events for each (fully realizing your recollections may be very different):


17. California ski resort (1960) : SQUAW VALLEY - Figure skating champion Carol Heiss cashed in her celebrity as quickly as she could




25. Peach State capital (1996) : ATLANTA - Perhaps best remembered for "The Greatest" being revealed as the secret torch lighter




27. With 39-Across and 61-Down, metropolis near the Wasatch Range (2002) : SALT 39. See 27-Across : LAKE 61. See 27-Across : CITY - A tattered flag from the World Trade center bombing which occurred only five months previous was a prominent part of the opening ceremonies.




52. Home of the Blues (1904) : ST LOUIS - The first Olympics in the U.S. was awarded to ST. LOUIS because it was also having a World's Fair and threatened to stage AAU track competition simultaneously if Chicago was selected. Only 12 countries showed up and the U.S. had 523 of the 630 athletes.




11. Home to the NFL's Rams (1932, 1984) : LOS ANGELES - Many consider Babe Didrikson Zaharias to be the finest female athlete of all time and she won 3 gold medals at the '32 olympics. She was limited to 3 events and won or tied for the win in all three but was eliminated from the high jump for "illegal technique" of her head going over first which is widely used today.




The '84 games were boycotted by the U.S.S.R. and 13 other aligned nations. Carl Lewis set the goal of winning the same four gold medals that Jesse Owens had won in front of Hitler in 1936 and did just that.




29. New York resort in the Adirondacks (1932, 1980) : LAKE PLACID - Like Carol Heiss, our crossword friend also cashed in on 1932 figure skating Olympic gold




Here is my most memorable Olympic moment: The U.S. amateurs defeating the highly favored and very experienced Soviet hockey team in the '80 hockey semifinals that led to Al Michaels' famous "Do you believe in miracles?" call. This is my favorite amateur sports memory that didn't involve Huskers!




Despite all the issues I will watch some of the Rio coverage but wouldn't travel down there for anything. Let's see what other events Joel and Andrea have for us:


Across


1. TV workers' union : AFTRA - The Screen Actors' Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists merged in 2012
6. "We Create Music" org. : ASCAP

11. "__ It Go": hit song from "Frozen" : LET - Easier advice to dispense than take


14. Smallish iPods : NANOS


15. Eucalyptus eater : KOALA


16. Daily Defense skin care brand : OXY - Quite an arsenal




19. Weaken : SAP


20. Stellar : ASTRAL


21. Some cameras : SLR'S


22. Master : ACE


23. Sci. subject : ANAT


30. Quick drink : SIP


32. Participate in karaoke : SING - What all these machines need...




33. 60 minuti : ORA -  37. Capital SSE of Firenze : ROMA - "A ROMA ci sono 60 minuti in un'ORA (In Rome, there are 60 minutes in an hour)" 68. Pisa place : ITALY completes the mini-theme trifecta


34. "Really?" : IT IS


36. Jetties : PIERS - Jetties extending out into new Lake Wanahoo behind the dam by Wahoo, NE




41. Actress Sevigny : CHLOE


43. Pebble-in-puddle sound : PLOP


44. Thumbs-up critic : EBERT - Of this movie, he said, "I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than 'The Brown Bunny.'"




46. That seƱorita : ELLA


47. Revealing rock genre : EMO


48. Look closely (over) : PORE


50. Stockholm airline : SAS


51. Exam for many sophs : PSAT


55. Tilt-A-Whirl, e.g. : RIDE - Do the people who set up and maintain these instill confidence in you?




57. Starbucks order : TEA


58. Mil. ranks : SGTS


60. Subsidiary of Fiat : LANCIA - Brigitte Bardot in a LANCIA Flavia. Nice lines!




64. Curved path : ARC


67. Calendar col. : FRI


69. Bloke's buddy : MATEY


70. G-man : FED


71. Synthetic fabric : NYLON


72. "Family Ties" mom : ELYSE



Down


1. Ancient jug handle : ANSA - We had this recently but it didn't stick in my brain box


2. Online help pgs. : FAQS


3. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT


4. Obviously enjoy, as a joke : ROAR AT


5. Nile dam : ASWAN


6. Blotter letters : AKA


7. Mars days, in "The Martian" : SOLS - During his SOLS on Mars, Watney grew potatoes using a unique fertilizer




8. __ lily : CALLA


9. "Fore!" et al. : ALERTS


10. Stub with withholding info : PAY SLIP


12. Better than estimated : EXACT


13. Far from laid-back : TYPE-A - One take on this idea




18. Big name in pickles : VLASIC


24. Sunday contribution : TITHE


26. "There's __ in the air" : A NIP


27. Part of a shoe : SOLE


28. Speedy steed : ARAB


31. Medicinal units : PILLS - My double transplant recipient golf partner takes 39 PILLS/day, 14,235/yr


35. __ eclipse : SOLAR




38. Windex target : SPOT


40. Buck chaser? : EROO


42. With little effort : EASILY


45. Rely on : TRUST IN


49. Interstate through Cheyenne : EIGHTY


51. Foreign correspondent? : PEN PAL 


52. Employees : STAFF


53. __ Haute : TERRE 


54. Rickey Henderson specialty : STEAL


56. Actor Jean-Claude Van __ : DAMME


59. Diva's offering : SOLO


62. Finishes, as cupcakes : ICES


63. "__ sow, so shall ... " : AS YE


66. Former White House adviser Nofziger : LYN - "The executive branch has grown too strong, the judicial branch too arrogant and the legislative branch too stupid."


Now let's race on to see your comments on this fun puzzle and perhaps an Olympic memory as well.  Please stay in your own lane!


The Grid



Notes from C.C.:

1) Congratulations on Joel Elkins on his LA Times debut! He also teamed up with dear Andrea Carla Michaels for his NYT debut last month.

2) Happy Birthday to our sweet Melissa B, who's going to become a first-time grandma soon.  Her daughter is expecting her first daughter on August 13th.



Left to Right: Melissa's daughter, Melissa's mom Barbara B, Melissa