LA Times Crossword Answers 24 Oct 12, Wednesday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Gareth Bain
THEME: AAA-Rated … each of the theme answers has three letter As, and only three:

17A. *”Ditto!” BACK AT YA!
19A. *1955 Communist defense treaty WARSAW PACT
37A. *”I can answer your questions” ASK AWAY
58A. *Momentarily forget DRAW A BLANK
60A. Like the best bonds, and a hint to the answers to starred clues AAA-RATED10D. *”Wheel of Fortune” host PAT SAJAK
36D. *Space cadet’s home? LALA LAND

COMPLETION TIME: 10m 31s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
7. Like many a reply env. PPD
Prepaid (PPD).

13. New Age physician HOLIST
A holistic approach to medicine emphasises not only physical symptoms but also social considerations and the environment.

14. Zeno’s home ELEA
Zeno of Elea was a Greek philosopher who lived in Elea, a Greek colony in Southern Italy. Zeno is famous for his “paradoxes”, a set of problems that really make you think! In the problem known as Achilles and the Tortoise, Zeno tells us that Achilles races a tortoise, giving the tortoise a head start (of say 100 meters). By the time Achilles reaches the starting point of the tortoise, the tortoise will have moved on, albeit only a small distance. Achilles then sets his sights on the tortoise’s new position and runs to it. Again the tortoise has moved ahead a little. Achilles keeps on moving to the tortoise’s new position but can never actually catch his slower rival. Or can he …?

15. Namibia neighbor: Abbr. ANG
Angola is a country in south-central Africa, on the west coast. Angola is the fourth largest diamond exporter in Africa, after Botswana, the Congo and South Africa. Such a valuable export hasn’t really helped the living standard of the country’s citizens as life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the poorest on the continent.

19. *1955 Communist defense treaty WARSAW PACT
The full title of the Warsaw pact was the Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. The Soviet Union was behind the signing of the treaty in 1955 and the signatories were:

– Bulgaria
– Czechoslovakia
– East Germany
– Hungary
– Poland
– Romania
– Soviet Union
– Albania

21. Old Russian dynast TSAR
The term czar (also tsar) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “Caesar”, which at that time was synonymous with “emperor”.

22. Pulitzer playwright Rice ELMER
Elmer Rice was a playwright from New York City. Rice’s most famous play is “Street Scene”, a work that won the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

23. The tiniest bit ONE IOTA
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

25. __ Moines DES
The city of Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, takes its name from the Des Moines River. The river in turn takes its name from the French “Riviere des Moines” meaning “River of the Monks”. It looks like there isn’t any “monkish” connection to the city’s name per se. “Des Moines” was just the name given by French traders who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Illinois Native Americans who lived by the river. However, others do contend that French Trappist monks, who lived a full 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.

26. Sink, as a snooker ball POT
Snooker is a fabulous game, played on what looks like a large pool table (12′ x 6′ if full size). Snooker is a derivative of the older game of billiards and is believed to have been developed by British Army officers who were stationed in India in the latter half of the 1800s. “Snooker” was a word used in the British military for a first-year cadet or an inexperienced soldier. Somehow that usage morphed into the name of the game.

33. Marsupial sometimes called a bear KOALA
The koala really does look like a little bear, but it’s not even closely related. The koala is an arboreal marsupial and a herbivore, native to the east and south coasts of Australia. Like so many of the cute and cuddly species on our planet, the koala was hunted nearly to extinction for its fur. It’s making a comeback now due to conservation measures taken by the Australian government.

41. Firefighter Red ADAIR
Red Adair was a famous fighter of fires in oil fields, and was a native of Houston, Texas. Adair’s exploits were the inspiration for a 1968 movie called “Hellfighters” starring John Wayne.

43. Gaming console with a fitness component WII
The Wii is the biggest-selling game console in the world. Two distinguishing features are the impressive wireless remote control and its WiiConnect24 system which allows the console to get messages and updates wirelessly in standby mode. I have my kids unplug the darn thing when they aren’t using it, as even in standby mode it sucks up bandwidth on my wireless network here at the house.

44. County in eastern Ireland KILDARE
County Kildare is in the East of Ireland, located to the southwest of County Dublin. Kildare was home to the famous and powerful Fitzgerald clan.

47. R&B’s __ Hill DRU
Dru Hill is an R&B singing group from Baltimore, Maryland. Dru Hill was formed in 1992, and is still going strong today. The name “Dru Hill” comes from Druid Hill Park which is found on the west side of Baltimore.

49. Peoria hrs. CST
Peoria is the oldest European settlement in the state of Illinois, having been settled by the French in 1680. The city is famous for being cited as “the average American city”.

The phrase, “Will it play in Peoria?” is used to mean, “Will it appeal to the mainstream?” It is believed that the expression originated as a corruption of, “We shall play in Peoria”, a line used by characters in the 1890 novel “Five Hundred Dollars” by Horatio Alger, Jr.

52. Score tempo ALLEGRO
The tempo of a piece of music is usually designated with an Italian word on the score. For example, “grave” is slow and solemn, “andante” is at a walking pace, and “allegro” is fast, quickly and bright.

54. Opposite of neo- PALEO-
The prefix “paleo-” means “prehistoric, primitive”. It comes from the Greek word “palaios” which means “old, ancient”.

67. __ de deux PAS
The the world of ballet, a “pas de deux” is a duet in which the dancers dance together. A classic pas de deux has a particular structure. It starts with a short entree followed by an adagio and two variations, one for each dancer, and ends with a short coda. The term “pas de deux” is French for “step for two”, or I suppose “dance for two”.

Down
5. Title writer in a John Irving novel TS GARP
John Irvine’s 1978 novel “The World According to Garp” is somewhat biographical. In fact, Irvine’s mother found parts of the novel difficult to read, recognizing elements of herself in Garp’s mother.

6. Hasenpfeffer, for one STEW
“Hasenpfeffer” is a rabbit or hare stew from Germany. The meat in the stew is braised with wine and the sauce thickened with the animal’s blood. The name “Hasenpfeffer” comes from the German “Hase” meaning “hare” and “Pfeffer” meaning “pepper”.

8. Jam thickener PECTIN
Pectin is a starch-like material found in the cell walls of plants. Pectin can be extracted from plants (usually citrus fruit) and then used in cooking as a gelling agent.

9. Black Hills terr. DAK
The Black Hills are a mountain range in South Dakota and Wyoming. The Black Hills are home to some celebrated locations including Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial and the historic city of Deadwood.

10. *”Wheel of Fortune” host PAT SAJAK
Pat Sajak took over the hosting of “Wheel of Fortune” back in 1983, and has been doing the job ever since. He had a short run as a talk show host in 1989/1990, and used to sub quite often for Larry King and Regis Philbin.

11. “A Day Without Rain” New Ager ENYA
Enya’s real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

12. Culture medium AGAR
Agar is a jelly extracted from seaweed that has many uses. Agar is found in Japanese desserts, and can also be used as a food thickener or even as a laxative. In the world of science it is the most common medium used for growing bacteria in Petri dishes.

14. Israeli diplomat Abba EBAN
Abba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician, born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban in Cape Town, South Africa. While working at the United Nations after WWII, he changed his name to “Abba”, the Hebrew word for “father”. He made this change as reportedly as he could see himself as the father of the nation of Israel.

20. “The Chosen” novelist Chaim POTOK
Chaim Potok was a Jewish American author. Potok’s most famous novel is “The Chosen”, which recounts the life of a Jewish youth in New York City during WWII.

24. “The Addams Family” adjective OOKY
“They’re altogether ooky— the Addams Family”

29. Flamenco shout OLE
Flamenco is a style of Spanish music and dance. The origin of the word “flamenco” isn’t clearly understood, but the explanation that seems most credible to me is that it comes from Flanders in Northern Europe. Given that “flamenco” is the Spanish word for “Flemish” and Flanders is home to the Flemish people it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

35. Dictator Amin IDI
Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.

37. Inland Asian sea ARAL
The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

38. Lehár operetta “The Merry __” WIDOW
“The Merry Widow” is an operetta composed by Franz Lehar. It was first performed in 1905 and has been popular ever since. Franz Lehar was a Hungarian who had a difficult relationship with the Nazi regime after it took control of his country. His wife was born Jewish, but converted to Catholicism. Fortunately, Hitler enjoyed Lehar’s music and as a result Goebbels intervened and made Sophie Lehar “an honorary Aryan by marriage”.

39. Breathable gases AIR
Air is mainly composed of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%) and argon (1%). We hear a lot about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It makes up (or should make up!) just 0.04% of air.

42. Car at a long light, say IDLER
Not if you have a hybrid … the engine shuts down at a light.

46. Everglades birds EGRETS
At one time the egret species was in danger of extinction due to excessive hunting driven by the demand for plumes for women’s hats.

49. Painter Monet CLAUDE
Claude Monet painted the harbor of Le Havre in the north of France in 1872, giving it the title “Impression, Sunrise”. The painting is not a “realistic” representation of the scene in front of him, hence the name “impression”. It was this very painting that gave rise to the name of the Impressionist movement.

55. 2004 remake starring Jude Law ALFIE
There have been two versions of the movie “Alfie”. The original, and for my money the best, was made in 1966 with Michael Caine. The remake came out in 2004 and stars Jude Law in the title role. The theme song was performed by Cher in the 1966 movie, but it was Dionne Warwick’s cover version from 1967 that was the most successful in the charts.

59. Venus de Milo’s lack ARMS
The famous “Venus de Milo” is so named as she was discovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Milos, on the Aegean island of the same name. I’ve been lucky enough to see the statue, in the Louvre in Paris, and was surprised at how large it is (6 ft 8 in tall).

61. Egyptian snake ASP
The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen opted to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Brains SMARTS
7. Like many a reply env. PPD
10. Low-tech missile PEA
13. New Age physician HOLIST
14. Zeno’s home ELEA
15. Namibia neighbor: Abbr. ANG
16. Florida export ORANGE
17. *”Ditto!” BACK AT YA!
19. *1955 Communist defense treaty WARSAW PACT
21. Old Russian dynast TSAR
22. Pulitzer playwright Rice ELMER
23. The tiniest bit ONE IOTA
25. __ Moines DES
26. Sink, as a snooker ball POT
28. Flattering deception SNOW JOB
31. Daddy-o POP
33. Marsupial sometimes called a bear KOALA
34. Friction reducer OIL
37. *”I can answer your questions” ASK AWAY
40. Map reader’s aid KEY
41. Firefighter Red ADAIR
43. Gaming console with a fitness component WII
44. County in eastern Ireland KILDARE
47. R&B’s __ Hill DRU
49. Peoria hrs. CST
52. Score tempo ALLEGRO
54. Opposite of neo- PALEO-
56. Fr. miss MLLE
58. *Momentarily forget DRAW A BLANK
60. Like the best bonds, and a hint to the answers to starred clues AAA-RATED
62. Dumpster fill REFUSE
63. Reunion attendees KIN
64. Goes down in the west SETS
65. Done for the first time MAIDEN
66. Sew up END
67. __ de deux PAS
68. Trusty mounts STEEDS

Down
1. Made an appearance SHOWED
2. Team captain’s concern MORALE
3. Morning janglers ALARMS
4. Teeth-cleaning step RINSE
5. Title writer in a John Irving novel TS GARP
6. Hasenpfeffer, for one STEW
7. Director’s cry PLACES
8. Jam thickener PECTIN
9. Black Hills terr. DAK
10. *”Wheel of Fortune” host PAT SAJAK
11. “A Day Without Rain” New Ager ENYA
12. Culture medium AGAR
14. Israeli diplomat Abba EBAN
18. When one might have a late lunch AT TWO
20. “The Chosen” novelist Chaim POTOK
24. “The Addams Family” adjective OOKY
27. Special __: military force OPS
29. Flamenco shout OLE
30. Shoreline indentation BAY
32. Print maker PAW
34. Wine barrel wood OAK
35. Dictator Amin IDI
36. *Space cadet’s home? LALA LAND
37. Inland Asian sea ARAL
38. Lehár operetta “The Merry __” WIDOW
39. Breathable gases AIR
42. Car at a long light, say IDLER
45. Herbal brew RED TEA
46. Everglades birds EGRETS
48. Cheerful UPBEAT
49. Painter Monet CLAUDE
50. Had an inkling SENSED
51. Small gifts TOKENS
53. Extremists, for short RADS
55. 2004 remake starring Jude Law ALFIE
56. Fabricate MAKE
57. Rested LAIN
59. Venus de Milo’s lack ARMS
61. Egyptian snake ASP

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