LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Dec 12, Thursday

CROSSWORD SETTER:C.C. Burnikel & Dennis Ryall
THEME: Inside Jobs … each of today’s themed answers contains a job hidden inside:

17A. Rossini’s “Cinderella,” e.g. COMI(C OP)ERA
23A. Judge’s protective ruling NO-CONT(ACT OR)DER
37A. When-all-else-fails act LAST DIT(CH EF)FORT
48A. Like a good project manager DE(TAIL OR)IENTED

59A. Employee crimes, and literally, the positions hidden in 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across INSIDE JOBS

COMPLETION TIME: 11m 43s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. U.K. awards OBES
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry in the UK that was established in 1917 by King George V. There are five classes within the order, which are in descending seniority:

– Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
– Knight Commander (KBE)
– Commander (CBE)
– Officer (OBE)
– Member (MBE)

14. Slobbering comics pooch ODIE
Odie is the best friend of “Garfield” and is a slobbery beagle, a character in Jim Davis’s comic strip.

15. Core group CADRE
A “cadre” is most commonly a group of experienced personnel at the core of a larger organization that the small group trains or heavily influences. “Cadre” is a French word meaning a “frame”. We use it in the sense that a cadre is a group that provides a “framework” for the larger organization.

17. Rossini’s “Cinderella,” e.g. COMIC OPERA
“La Cenerentola” (or “Cinderella” in English) is a comic opera by Gioachino Rossini first performed in 1817. Rossini composed the piece when he only 25 years old, and a year after his extremely successful opera “The Barber of Seville”.

20. Pluto, for example ORB
Pluto was discovered in 1930, and was welcomed as the ninth planet in our solar system. It is relatively small in size, just one fifth of the mass of our own moon. In the seventies, astronomers began to discover more large objects in the solar system, including Eris, a “scattered disc object” at the outer reaches. Given that Eris is actually bigger than Pluto, and other objects really aren’t that much smaller, Pluto’s status as a planet was drawn into question. In 2006 there was a scientific definition for a “planet” agreed for the first time, resulting in Pluto being relegated to the status of “dwarf planet”, along with Eris.

27. Golfer nicknamed “The Big Easy” ELS
Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He has a child who suffers from autism and so Els has been very effective in raising money for charities that focus on the condition.

41. Cooperstown’s Mel OTT
At 5′ 9″, Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old.

42. Tricky rink move DEKE
A deke, also known as a dangle, is a technique used to get past an opponent in ice hockey. “Deke” is a colloquial shortening of the word “decoy”.

43. Like X, in some cases ROMAN
X is the Roman numeral for “ten”.

44. Noted Titanic passenger ASTOR
John Jacob Astor IV was a member of the famous and wealthy Astor family of New York. Astor was a passenger on the RMS Titanic when it made its fateful journey in 1912. Astor did not survive the tragedy, and was the wealthiest person to go down with the ship.

The RMS Titanic set off on her tragic maiden voyage in 1912, sailing from Southampton, England bound for New York City. Regulations only required that the ship have lifeboat capacity for 1,178 people, even though a full complement of passengers and crew was 3,547. When the order was given to abandon ship, the captain adhered to the traditional protocol of “women and children first”. As a result, only 20% of male passengers survived the disaster, compared to 75% of the female passengers. Perhaps more telling is that 61% of those in first class survived, and only 25% of those in third class. The crew fared even worse though, with only 24% making it home.

54. Greek labyrinth island, in myth CRETE
Minos was the King of Crete in Greek mythology, and the son of Zeus and Europa. Minos had an elaborate labyrinth built under the island, designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus (who famously died trying to escape from the island by “flying” away). In the labyrinth, King Minos kept the Minotaur, a dreadful creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man.

55. He plays Jack on “30 Rock” ALEC
Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec’s big break was playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in “The Hunt for Red October”, but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin has made a name for himself in recent years playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey. He has also hosted the sketch show “Saturday Night Live” on more occasions than anyone else (16 times).

56. November honoree VET
Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day, and is observed on November 11th each year. This particular date was chosen as the Armistice that ended WWI was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

58. Bike basket escapee of film TOTO
Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”. Toto was played by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life, due to the success of the film.

62. Isaac’s oldest ESAU
Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When their mother Rebekah gave birth to the twins “the first emerged red and hairy all over (Esau), with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out (Jacob)”. As Esau was the first born, he was entitled to inherit his father’s wealth (it was his “birthright”). Instead, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a “mess of pottage” (a meal of lentils).

63. Carved symbol TOTEM
Totem is the name given to any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. So, “totem” poles are really misnamed as the poles are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

67. Rotary Club symbol GEAR
The first Rotary Club meeting was held in 1905 in Chicago in the office of one of the four businessmen who attended. The name “Rotary Club” was chosen as the plan was to “rotate” the locations of the meetings to the offices of each of the club’s members in turn.

Down
1. First name in fashion COCO
Coco Chanel was a French designer. Perhaps because I am a man, clothes design is not my forte, however, if I had to pick a designer whose clothes I really liked, it would be Chanel. She had a way of creating simpler designs that looked so elegant on a woman.

2. Sew on rickrack, for instance ADORN
Rickrack is an adornment placed on curtains and clothing. It is a narrow braid that includes a zigzag pattern.

4. Floral garland LEI
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

7. “A Passage to India” schoolmistress ADELA
“A Passage to India” is a wonderful novel by E. M. Forster set in the days of the British Raj. There are two excellent adaptations for the screen that I would recommend. There’s a BBC television version from 1965 starring a wonderful cast including Virginia McKenna and Cyril Cusack. There is also an Oscar-winning movie version from 1984 with Alec Guinness and Peggy Ashcroft. Forster had first-hand knowledge of life during the Raj, having worked in India during the twenties.

12. First name in skin care ESTEE
Estée Lauder was quite the successful businesswoman with a reputation as a great salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths, while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

24. Euro fraction CENT
The European Union today stands at a membership of 27 states. The Euro is the official currency of only 16 of the 27. The list of states not using the Euro includes the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

32. Prefix meaning “wing” PTERO-
The prefixes pter- and ptero- mean “pertaining to a wing, or a feather”, coming from the Greek word “pteron” (feather). Examples of use would be in the words “pterosaur” and “pterodactyl”.

35. Two-piece piece BRA
The word “brassière” is of course French in origin, but it isn’t the word the French use for a “bra”. In France what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breast plate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

39. Coneheads’ home, so they said FRANCE
“The Coneheads” first appeared in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch in 1977. The three family members back then were played by Dan Ackroyd (father), Jane Curtin (mother) and Laraine Newman (daughter). The characters became so popular they were featured in a “Coneheads” movie in 1993.

46. Ascot or cravat TIE
An Ascot tie is that horrible-looking (I think!) wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

The cravat originated in Croatia and was an accessory used with a military uniform. Cravats were introduced to the fashion-conscious French by Croatian mercenaries enlisted into a regiment of the French army. The English placed a lot of emphasis on the knot used for the cravat, and in the period after the Battle of Waterloo the cravat came to be known as a “tie”. What we now call a tie in English is still called a “cravate” in French.

48. 747 competitor DC-TEN
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a very recognizable passenger aircraft, with one engine under either wing and a third incorporated into the base of the vertical stabilizer at the rear of the plane.

The first jet to be called a “Jumbo” was Boeing’s 747, as it was the first wide-body airliner. This means that it was the first to have seating laid out with two aisles running the length of the plane. The plane also has three decks for part of its length, with the lower deck being used for cargo and galley space, and the upper deck for extra passenger seating. The Airbus A380 is called a “Superjumbo” as it has two full decks of passengers.

49. Irregularly notched EROSE
An edge that is “erose” is irregularly notched or indented.

50. Many a reggae musician RASTA
I must admit that I don’t really understand Rastafarianism. I do know that a “Rasta”, like Bob Marley, is a follower of the movement. Some say that Rastafarianism is a religion, some not. I also know that it involves the worship of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.

53. Messing of “Smash” DEBRA
Debra Messing’s most famous role is Grace, in the television series “Will & Grace”.

“Smash” is an NBC television show about the creation of a new Broadway musical. The cast of “Smash” includes Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston.

59. Addams cousin ITT
In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family had a frequent visitor called Cousin Itt. Itt is a short man with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. Cousin Itt was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Steeerike!” is one CALL
5. Good-sized slices SLABS
10. U.K. awards OBES
14. Slobbering comics pooch ODIE
15. Core group CADRE
16. Going around in circles, maybe LOST
17. Rossini’s “Cinderella,” e.g. COMIC OPERA
19. See DATE
20. Pluto, for example ORB
21. Administered by spoon ORAL
22. Self-gratifying outing SPREE
23. Judge’s protective ruling NO-CONTACT ORDER
27. Golfer nicknamed “The Big Easy” ELS
28. Shady plot ARBOR
29. Tantrum in a restaurant, say SCENE
32. Clip PACE
34. Docs who deliver OBS
37. When-all-else-fails act LAST DITCH EFFORT
41. Cooperstown’s Mel OTT
42. Tricky rink move DEKE
43. Like X, in some cases ROMAN
44. Noted Titanic passenger ASTOR
47. Groupie FAN
48. Like a good project manager DETAIL ORIENTED
54. Greek labyrinth island, in myth CRETE
55. He plays Jack on “30 Rock” ALEC
56. November honoree VET
58. Bike basket escapee of film TOTO
59. Employee crimes, and literally, the positions hidden in 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across INSIDE JOBS
62. Isaac’s oldest ESAU
63. Carved symbol TOTEM
64. Pod veggie OKRA
65. At the front of the line NEXT
66. Subject of a sports deadline TRADE
67. Rotary Club symbol GEAR

Down
1. First name in fashion COCO
2. Sew on rickrack, for instance ADORN
3. State of oblivion LIMBO
4. Floral garland LEI
5. Pooh-poohs SCORNS
6. Splash gently against LAP AT
7. “A Passage to India” schoolmistress ADELA
8. “It’s too darn cold!” BRR
9. Mermaid’s milieu SEA
10. Veteran OLD PRO
11. Decision-making setting BOARDROOM
12. First name in skin care ESTEE
13. Pilot STEER
18. Lost enthusiasm COOLED
22. Have a good cry SOB
24. Euro fraction CENT
25. Hidey-hole CACHE
26. Apple, for one TREE
29. __-mo SLO
30. Alley lurker CAT
31. Subject of IRS Form 706 ESTATE TAX
32. Prefix meaning “wing” PTERO-
33. “Good grief!” ACK
35. Two-piece piece BRA
36. RR depot STN
38. Star frequently gazed at IDOL
39. Coneheads’ home, so they said FRANCE
40. Type type FONT
45. Warmed the bench SAT OUT
46. Ascot or cravat TIE
47. What a baby’s cry often means FEED ME
48. 747 competitor DC-TEN
49. Irregularly notched EROSE
50. Many a reggae musician RASTA
51. Fibber’s admission I LIED
52. Bring forth EVOKE
53. Messing of “Smash” DEBRA
57. Old autocrat TSAR
59. Addams cousin ITT
60. Hide-hair link NOR
61. Nudge JOG

Return to top of page

2 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Dec 12, Thursday”

  1. Hi William
    Thank you for all the detailed info on the answers. This is the first time I've visited. Impressed by your solving time. I got stuck on "no contact order" and never heard of "deke".

  2. NO-CONTACT ORDER was new to me too, and I only picked up the word DEKE qute recently in another crossword.

    Thanks for the kind words, and please do drop by again soon.

Comments are closed.