LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Apr 13, Wednesday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Howard Barkin
THEME: Baby’s Things … each of today’s themed answers start with something that might be found in cribs:

37A. Illicit exam aids, and places where the first parts of the answers to starred clues can be found CRIBS

20A. *”Jolene” singer DOLLY PARTON
50A. *Rush hour jam spots BOTTLENECKS
11D. *Residence in a park, often MOBILE HOME
29D. *Rickety wheels RATTLETRAP

COMPLETION TIME: 8m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Toppled tyrant 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 was synonymous with “emperor” at that time.

14. The “Aeneid,” for one EPIC
“The Aeneid” is Virgil’s epic poem that tells of the journey of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy to become the ancestor of all Romans. “The Aeneid” begins with the words “Arma virumque cano …”, which translates as “I sing of arms and of a man …”

15. Squeegee, e.g. WIPE
The first squeegee was known as a “squilgee”, and was used to wash fish blood and scales off the decks of fishing vessels.

16. Layer to worry about OZONE
Ozone gets its name from the Greek word ozein, meaning “to smell”. It was given this name as ozone’s formation during lightning storms was detected by the gas’s distinctive smell.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the propellants that were once used in aerosols. CFCs make their way up into the ozone layer and trigger a chain reaction that converts ozone (O3) into regular oxygen (O2). That conversion creates “holes” in the ozone layer. Regular O2 is good stuff, but we need O3 to absorb harmful UV radiation raining down on us. CFC is not good stuff …

17. Cutting-edge brand? ATRA
Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

20. *”Jolene” singer DOLLY PARTON
I must admit that I am not a big fan of country music, but I do like the 1974 hit “Jolene” written and performed by Dolly Parton. Dolly Parton tells the story that the song was inspired by a redheaded bank teller who was frequently flirting with her husband.

Dolly Parton is a country music singer-songwriter, as well as an actress. Parton has written over 3,000 songs, my favorite of which is “I Will Always Love You”, a hit for herself and for Whitney Houston.

25. Hibiscus plant’s family MALLOW
The mallows are a family of flowering plants more correctly known as the Malvaceae. Included in the family are okra, cotton, kola nut as well as plants of the Hibiscus genus.

27. Once in a blue moon RARELY
As there is a full moon once every four weeks, approximately monthly, there are usually twelve full moons in any given year. However, every 2-3 years, depending on the phase of the moon at the beginning of the calendar year, there may be a thirteenth full moon. The “extra” full moon is called a “blue moon”, although no one seems to really know why the term “blue” is used, as far as I can tell. Which of the thirteen full moons that is designated as the blue moon varies depending on tradition. My favorite definition is from the Farmer’s Almanac. It states that as each of the seasons normally has three full moons (twelve divided by the four seasons), then the season with four full moons is designated as “special”, then, the THIRD (and not the fourth) full moon in that “special” season is the blue moon. Complicated, huh?

32. Weight Watchers meeting need SCALE
Weight Watchers Online was founded in 1963 by a homemaker called Jean Nidetch. Nidetch was struggling with her weight and founded a support group of overweight friends to help her achieve her goals. That support group developed in the Weight Watchers network.

33. Software with crop and marquee tools PHOTOSHOP
Photoshop is a wonderful piece of software used for editing graphics. When I first bought a copy of Photoshop, it was really expensive (about $300, ten years ago), but now there are cost-effective, stripped-down versions available.

37. Illicit exam aids, and places where the first parts of the answers to starred clues can be found CRIBS
A crib is a plagiarism, most commonly the copying of an answer in an examination.

42. Bond-Bond link? JAMES
“My name is Bond, James Bond …”

45. Death Valley, for example DESERT
Death Valley is a spectacular desert valley in California that is part of the Mojave Desert. Badwater Basin in Death Valley is lowest point in North America, sitting at 282 feet below sea level. Remarkably, Badwater Basin is located just 84 miles from Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States.

46. Oscar winner Charlize THERON
Charlize Theron is an actress from South Africa who has played leading roles in Hollywood films such as “The Devil’s Advocate”, “The Cider House Rules” and my personal favorite “The Italian Job”.

56. Medicare insurance segment PART B
Medicare is divided into four parts:

A: Hospital Insurance
B: Medical Insurance
C: Medicare Advantage Plans
D: Prescription Drug Plans

58. Breakfast chain IHOP
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) was founded back in 1958. IHOP was originally intended to be called IHOE, the International House of Eggs, but that name didn’t do too well in marketing tests …

59. Many a blog post RANT
Well, not this one!

62. Low card TREY
A trey of clubs, for example, is a name for the three of clubs in a deck of cards. The name “trey” can also be used for a domino with three pips.

64. Furry sci-fi creature EWOK
The Ewoks are creatures who live on the moon of Endor, first appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. They’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

Down
4. “Grey’s Anatomy” prop SCALPEL
The very successful hospital drama “Grey’s Anatomy” has been on television since 2005. The title is a reference to the show’s central character, Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo), as well as a reference to the classic human anatomy textbook commonly called “Gray’s Anatomy”.

8. “La Vie Bohème” musical RENT
“La Vie Bohème” is a song from the musical “Rent”.

The musical “Rent” is based on the Puccini opera “La bohème”. “Rent” tells the story of struggling artists and musicians living in the Lower East Side of New York, and is set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic. We saw “Rent” on Broadway quite a few years ago and we were very disappointed …

9. Carrier to Oz TORNADO
The movie “The Wizard of Oz” is full of irony. The Scarecrow wants to be intelligent and discovers he is already very smart. The Tin Man wants to be able to love and finds out that he already has a heart. The Lion thinks he is a coward but turns out to be fearless. And the big reveal is that the Wizard of Oz, who is positioned as all-powerful, is actually just a bumbling and eccentric old man.

10. __ dye: food-coloring compound AZO
Azo compounds have very vivid colors and so are used to make dyes, especially dyes with the colors red, orange and yellow.

12. Start of el año ENERO
In Spanish, we start years (anos) in January (enero) as noted on a calendar (calendrio).

21. New Haven’s biggest employer YALE
Yale is the private Ivy League school located in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale was founded in 1701, making it the third-oldest, higher education establishment in the country (after Harvard, and William and Mary).

26. Some cellphones LGS
LG is a very large, South Korean manufacturer of electronics, chemicals and telecom products. LG used to be known as Lucky-Goldstar.

27. Invitation abbr. RSVP
RSVP stands for “Répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “please, answer”.

28. Trendy berry ACAI
Açaí is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

30. Uses FedEx SHIPS
FedEx began operations in 1973 as Federal Express, but now operates very successfully under it’s more catchy abbreviated name. Headquartered in Memphis with its “SuperHub” at Memphis International Airport, FedEx is the world’s largest airline in terms of tons of freight flown. And due to the presence of FedEx, Memphis Airport has the largest-volume cargo operation of any airport worldwide.

31. “Flash” gatherings MOBS
A flash mob is a group of people who gather to perform a sudden, brief act in a public location and then quickly disperse. Flash mobs originated in Manhattan in 2003, as a social experiment by an editor of “Harper’s Magazine” called Bill Wasik. Wasik’s first attempt to form a flash mob was unsuccessful, but the second attempt worked. The first successful flash mob was relatively tame by today’s elaborate standards, and consisted of about 130 people gathered on the 9th floor of Macy’s department store pretending to be shopping en masse for a “love rug”.

33. “Je vous en __”: “Please” PRIE
“Je vous en prie” is French for “you are welcome”.

34. CBer’s “Your turn” OVER
A CBer is someone who operates a Citizens’ Band radio. In 1945, the FCC set aside certain radio frequencies for the personal use of citizens. The use of the Citizens’ Band increased throughout the seventies as advances in electronics brought down the size of transceivers and their cost. There aren’t many CB radios sold these days though, as they have largely been replaced by cell phones.

37. Sturdy material CHINO
Chino is a twill cloth most often used to make hard-wearing pants. The pants have come to be referred to as chinos. Chino cloth was originally developed for use by the military, but quickly became popular with civilians.

42. Composer Sibelius JEAN
Jean Sibelius is the most famous Finnish classical composer, and shall forever be linked with his wonderful symphonic poem, “Finlandia”. Sibelius composed many lovely pieces of music right up until the mid 1920s when he was in his fifties. Despite all his efforts, he wasn’t able to produce any noted works for the last thirty years of his life.

45. “Spiritual Solutions” author Chopra DEEPAK
Deepak Chopra is a medical doctor who is now an advocate for alternative medicine. Chopra was born in New Delhi, India and immigrated to the US in 1968. He is an advocate for mind/body spiritual healing. I have heard Chopra speak, and he really knows how to get his message across …

46. Go-go personality TYPE A
The Type A and Type B personality theory originated in the fifties. Back then, individuals were labelled as Type A in order to emphasize a perceived increased risk of heart disease. Type A personality types are so called “stress junkies”, whereas Type B types are relaxed and laid back. But there doesn’t seem to be much scientific evidence to support the linkage between the Type A personality and heart problems.

53. Beef, or a fish CARP
The word “carp” used to mean simply “talk” back in the 13th century, with its roots in the Old Norwegian “karpa” meaning “to brag”. A century later the Latin word “carpere” meaning “to slander” influenced the use of “carp” so that it came to mean “find fault with”.

Carp are oily freshwater fish.

55. Netherworld river STYX
The River Styx in Greek mythology was the river that formed the boundary between the Earth and the Underworld (or Hades). The souls of the newly dead had to cross the River Styx in a ferry boat piloted by Charon. Traditionally, a coin would be placed in the mouths of the dead “to pay the ferryman”.

57. “Cats” initials TSE
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s source material for his hit musical “Cats” was T. S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. Eliot’s collection of whimsical poems was published in 1939, and was a personal favorite of Webber as he was growing up. “Cats” is the second longest running show in Broadway history (“Phantom of the Opera” is the longest and is still running; deservedly so in my humble opinion). my wife and I have seen “Cats” a couple of times and really enjoyed it …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Insectivore’s meal BUGS
5. Toppled tyrant TSAR
9. Circus chairman? TAMER
14. The “Aeneid,” for one EPIC
15. Squeegee, e.g. WIPE
16. Layer to worry about OZONE
17. Cutting-edge brand? ATRA
18. Yoked team OXEN
19. Spa wear ROBES
20. *”Jolene” singer DOLLY PARTON
23. Tax shelter, briefly IRA
24. Place for a date PALM
25. Hibiscus plant’s family MALLOW
27. Once in a blue moon RARELY
30. Little bit SMIDGE
32. Weight Watchers meeting need SCALE
33. Software with crop and marquee tools PHOTOSHOP
36. Vintner’s vessel VAT
37. Illicit exam aids, and places where the first parts of the answers to starred clues can be found CRIBS
38. Egg cells OVA
39. Baked snacks often dipped in hummus PITA CHIPS
42. Bond-Bond link? JAMES
44. Easter flowers LILIES
45. Death Valley, for example DESERT
46. Oscar winner Charlize THERON
48. Salty seven SEAS
49. Though YET
50. *Rush hour jam spots BOTTLENECKS
56. Medicare insurance segment PART B
58. Breakfast chain IHOP
59. Many a blog post RANT
60. Backspace through text ERASE
61. Word heard in 37-Across MAMA
62. Low card TREY
63. On the say-so of AS PER
64. Furry sci-fi creature EWOK
65. Glasses, in ads SPEX

Down
1. Abacus slider BEAD
2. __-the-minute UP-TO
3. Miss GIRL
4. “Grey’s Anatomy” prop SCALPEL
5. Like more absorbent paper towels TWO-PLY
6. Workday alarm hr. SIX AM
7. Copycat APER
8. “La Vie Bohème” musical RENT
9. Carrier to Oz TORNADO
10. __ dye: food-coloring compound AZO
11. *Residence in a park, often MOBILE HOME
12. Start of el año ENERO
13. Sat through again RESAW
21. New Haven’s biggest employer YALE
22. Skips OMITS
26. Some cellphones LGS
27. Invitation abbr. RSVP
28. Trendy berry ACAI
29. *Rickety wheels RATTLETRAP
30. Uses FedEx SHIPS
31. “Flash” gatherings MOBS
33. “Je vous en __”: “Please” PRIE
34. CBer’s “Your turn” OVER
35. Former time PAST
37. Sturdy material CHINO
40. Go public with AIR
41. Knock into next week CLOBBER
42. Composer Sibelius JEAN
43. Strongly maintains ASSERTS
45. “Spiritual Solutions” author Chopra DEEPAK
46. Go-go personality TYPE A
47. Pays heed to HEARS
48. NFL highlight reel technique SLOMO
51. Hourglass figure? TIME
52. Deice? THAW
53. Beef, or a fish CARP
54. Joint with a cap KNEE
55. Netherworld river STYX
57. “Cats” initials TSE


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