LA Times Crossword Answers 2 Mar 13, Saturday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Installment in a modern series WEBISODE
A “webisode” (from “web episode”) is a short episode in an Internet television series.

15. Loge OPERA BOX
In most theaters today, the loge is the name given to the front rows of a mezzanine level. Loge can also be the name given to box seating.

18. Hero with a memorable yell TARZAN
“Tarzan” is the title character in the series of books created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The line “Me Tarzan, you Jane” never appeared in the books, and indeed doesn’t even figure in the movies. Apparently Johnny Weissmuller (who played Tarzan in the thirties and forties) saw Maureen O’Sullivan (“Jane”, to Weissmuller’s “Tarzan”) struggling with a suitcase in the parking lot during filming. He grabbed the bag from her, jokingly saying “Me Tarzan, you Jane”, and people have been quoting those words ever since.

19. Bird that dines on stingers BEE-EATER
Bee-eaters are small colorful birds that feed on flying insects, mainly bees and wasps. The bee-eater catches its prey in its bill and then hits and rubs the bee or wasp on a hard surface until the stinger is dislodged, then it partakes of its meal.

21. PC debut of 1981 MS-DOS
MS-DOS was the main operating system used by IBM-compatible PCs in the eighties and for much of the nineties.

24. Truffles, e.g. FUNGI
Truffles are rooted out by pigs, or specially trained dogs. The reason why pigs, especially sows, are so attracted to truffles is that there is a chemical compound found within the truffle that is very similar to androstenol, a sex pheromone found in the saliva of boars.

28. Unit in una zona residencial CASA
In Spanish, a house (casa) might be found in residential zona (una zona residencial).

30. Most suitable for service ONE-A
The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).

39. 1959 Cornelius Ryan best-seller about the Normandy invasion, with “The” LONGEST DAY
“The Longest Day” is a book by Cornelius Ryan that tells the story of D-Day in World War II, the invasion of Normandy. The 1959 book, and the wonderful 1962 film adaptation, take their name from words attributed to Erwin Rommel:

…the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive…the fate of Germany depends on the outcome…for the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest day.

40. Its Nasdaq symbol is CAR AVIS
Avis has been around since 1946, and is the second largest car rental agency after Hertz. Avis has the distinction of being the first car rental company to locate a branch at an airport.

41. Keister SEAT
Back in the early 1900s a keister was a safe or a strongbox. It has been suggested that this term was then used as slang by pickpockets for the rear trouser pocket in which one might keep a wallet. From this usage keister appeared as a slang term for the buttocks in the early 1930s.

42. Prepare for a game, as Jenga blocks STACK
Jenga is a simple but very entertaining game, one in which one stacks wooden blocks as high as possible until the resulting tower collapses. “Jenga” is the Swahili word for “to build”

57. God wed to his sister OSIRIS
Osiris was the Egyptian god of the underworld. Osiris was the son of Geb the Earth god, and Nut the sky goddess. His wife Isis was also his sister …

62. Many characters on “The L Word” LESBIANS
“The L Word” is a Showtime drama series. The show deals with lesbian, bisexual and transgender people living in West Hollywood. “The L word” reference is to “lesbian”.

Lesbos is a Greek island in the northeast of the Aegean Sea. The Greek poet Sappho came from Lesbos, and she was a woman noted for her powerful emotional poems directed towards other females. It is because of the writings of Sappho from Lesbos that we have our word “lesbian”.

Down
2. It has about a 35-inch blade EPEE
The French word for sword is “épée”. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.

3. Saint who wrote the earliest history of England BEDE
The Venerable Bede was a monk in the north of England in the first century AD. Saint Bede is mainly known as an author and scholar, publisher of “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People”.

4. Requiem Mass hymn word IRAE
“Dies Irae” is Latin for “Day of Wrath”. It is the name of a famous melody in Gregorian Chant, one that is often used as part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.

5. Sub base? SALAMI
Salame (note the “e” at the end) is an Italian sausage that is traditionally associated with the peasant classes. The meat in the sausage is preserved with salt, and it can be hung and stored for maybe as long as ten years. The name “salame” comes from “sale”, the Italian word for salt, and “-ame”, a suffix indicating a collective noun. Our English word “salami” is actually the Italian plural for “salame”.

6. Bye lines? OBITS
“Obituary” comes from the Latin “obituaris”, originally the record of the death of a person, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.

8. Version’s beginning? EXTRO-
The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung popularized the terms “Introvert” and “extrovert”, although he believed that we all have introverted and extroverted sides to us. Nowadays we tend to think of extroversion and introversion as extremes on a continuum. We sad bloggers sitting at home glued to our laptops tend to the introverted end of the scale …

9. One of U.S. banking’s Big Four CITI
During the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, the US government rescued Citibank by providing loan guarantees and two payments of $25 billion each. It turns out that the government made a tidy profit on that deal, as Citibank has since repaid the loans in full, along with interest.

11. Longhaired pet PERSIAN CAT
The Persian is that long-haired cat with a squashed muzzle. The breed takes its name from its place of origin, namely Persia (Iran).

14. Uses Zipcar, say RENTS
Zipcar is a carsharing company. Carsharing differs from car rental in that cars are available only to members, but 24 hours a day as opposed to office hours. There are other differences, including the fact that members are usually responsible for leaving cars gassed up and clean for the next user.

22. Milan’s La __ SCALA
The La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater its name, “Teatro alla Scala” in Italian.

26. Light element NEON
The basic design of neon lighting was first demonstrated at the Paris Motor Show in 1910. Such lighting is made up of glass tubes containing a vacuum into which has been introduced a small amount of neon gas. When a voltage is applied between two electrodes inside the tube, the neon gas “glows” and gives off the familiar light.

27. “Straight Outta Compton” genre GANGSTA RAP
Gangsta rap is a type of hip hop music with lyrics that reflect the violent lifestyle experienced by some inner-city youth.

“Straight Outta Compton” was the first album by N.W.A. N.W.A was a hip hop group from Compton, California. The original five group members included rappers who have made a name for themselves as solo acts, including: Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.

31. __ Major URSA
The constellation called Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called the Big Dipper because of its resemblance to a ladle or dipper. Ursa Major also resembles a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland: the “plough”.

32. Modern entertainment NET TV
Net TV is the distribution of regular television content over the Internet, as opposed to television content made for the Internet. Personally I love Internet TV and Radio. I watch a few shows from Ireland on the RTE Player, and listen to BBC Radio on the BBC iPlayer Radio almost everyday. Great, great stuff …

34. Vena __ CAVA
The superior vena cava is a large vein carrying deoxygenated blood from the upper part of the body to the right atrium of the heart. The inferior vena cava does the same thing for the lower part of the body.

35. “Fast Food Nation” author Schlosser ERIC
“Fast Food Nation” is an expose by investigative journalist Eric Schlosser that reveals in the inner workings of the US fast food industry. One of Schlosser’s more controversial findings was the deliberate targeting of children by the marketing folks at McDonald’s. McDonald’s copied the marketing plans of Walt Disney to attract not only children, but also their parents and grandparents. That’s how Ronald McDonald was born …

43. Now, in Nogales AHORA
Nogales (properly called “Heroica Nogales”) is a city in the Mexican State of Sonora. Nogales lies right on the Mexico-US border, opposite the city of Nogales, Arizona.

47. Seven-time French Open winner NADAL
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player who is noted for his expertise on clay courts, earning him the nickname “The King of Clay”.

48. Fail to say ELIDE
To elide is to pass over, omit or slur a syllable when speaking.

49. Simoleons CLAMS
Lettuce, cabbage, kale, dough, scratch, simoleons, clams and moola are all slang terms for money.

54. Medicine Hat’s prov. ALTA
Medicine Hat is a city in Alberta. Canada. Medicine Hat is known for its extensive natural gas fields. In fact, English writer Rudyard Kipling described the city as having “all hell for a basement”.

55. Homeowner’s burden LIEN
A lien is the right that one has to retain or secure someone’s property until a debt is paid.

56. Some TV screens LCDS
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are the screens that are found in most laptops today, and in flat panel computer screens and some televisions. LCD monitors basically replaced Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens, the old television technology.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Installment in a modern series WEBISODE
9. Thing to be cracked CIPHER
15. Loge OPERA BOX
16. Purchase provider ICE AXE
17. Olympic winner MEDALIST
18. Hero with a memorable yell TARZAN
19. Bird that dines on stingers BEE-EATER
20. Bug INSECT
21. PC debut of 1981 MS-DOS
23. Leans TILTS
24. Truffles, e.g. FUNGI
28. Unit in una zona residencial CASA
30. Most suitable for service ONE-A
31. In danger of snapping UNBALANCED
37. “Whatever” I DON’T REALLY CARE
39. 1959 Cornelius Ryan best-seller about the Normandy invasion, with “The” LONGEST DAY
40. Its Nasdaq symbol is CAR AVIS
41. Keister SEAT
42. Prepare for a game, as Jenga blocks STACK
43. They may generate interest: Abbr. ACCTS
46. 38-Down option V-NECK
50. “Hysterical” HA HA HA
52. On balance ALL IN ALL
57. God wed to his sister OSIRIS
58. Rather wicked DIABOLIC
59. Say REMARK
60. Not barred ADMITTED
61. Good guys? ADEPTS
62. Many characters on “The L Word” LESBIANS

Down
1. Place of development WOMB
2. It has about a 35-inch blade EPEE
3. Saint who wrote the earliest history of England BEDE
4. Requiem Mass hymn word IRAE
5. Sub base? SALAMI
6. Bye lines? OBITS
7. Did a nurse’s job DOSED
8. Version’s beginning? EXTRO-
9. One of U.S. banking’s Big Four CITI
10. “It’s hard to tell” I CAN’T SAY
11. Longhaired pet PERSIAN CAT
12. Nut-producing tree HAZEL
13. Like some change EXACT
14. Uses Zipcar, say RENTS
22. Milan’s La __ SCALA
24. Keep from happening FOIL
25. Wreck UNDO
26. Light element NEON
27. “Straight Outta Compton” genre GANGSTA RAP
29. She has your back ALLY
31. __ Major URSA
32. Modern entertainment NET TV
33. Maleficent BAD
34. Vena __ CAVA
35. “Fast Food Nation” author Schlosser ERIC
36. Work area DESK
38. Top choice TEE-SHIRT
42. Apparel for the slopes SKI BIB
43. Now, in Nogales AHORA
44. Checked out badly? CASED
45. Ring CHIME
47. Seven-time French Open winner NADAL
48. Fail to say ELIDE
49. Simoleons CLAMS
51. Petitions ASKS
53. Answer from the unwilling NOT I
54. Medicine Hat’s prov. ALTA
55. Homeowner’s burden LIEN
56. Some TV screens LCDS

Return to top of page