LA Times Crossword Answers 16 Aug 13, Friday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Jean O’Connor
THEME: Lots of Buzz … each of today’s themed answers has the one-word clue BUZZ:

17A. Buzz BEEHIVE HUM
24A. Buzz LATEST RUMOR
33A. Buzz ASTRONAUT ALDRIN
46A. Buzz ARMY HAIRCUT
54A. Buzz COFFEE RUSH

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 15m 04s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Preppy clothing brand IZOD
Jack Izod was a tailor of some repute over in England, producing shirts for King George V as well as other members of the Royal Family. As Izod was about to retire, he was approached for the use of his name by an American clothing manufacturer based in New York. The brand Izod of London was introduced to America in 1938.

5. 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year JETER
Derek Jeter has played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and is the team’s captain. Jeter is the all-time career leader for the Yankees in hits, games played, stolen bases and at bats. He is also the all-time leader in hits by a shortstop in the whole of professional baseball.

10. __ club GLEE
A glee club is a choir group, usually of males, that sings short songs known as “glees”. A glee is a song scored for three or more voices that is performed unaccompanied.

19. Just as it should be TO A T
The expression “to a T” can also be written as “to a tee”, and has been around at least since 1693.

20. Patterned cotton cloth CALICO
In North America, “calico” is a brightly printed cloth made from cotton material. Over on the other side of the Atlantic, calico is a plain white cotton cloth.

22. Three-time Boston Marathon winner Pippig UTA
Uta Pippig is long-distance runner from Germany. Pippig became the first woman to win the Boston Marathon on three consecutive occasions, from 1994 to 1996.

27. Monopoly player? CARTEL
A “cartel” is a group of independent businesses who cooperate to regulate production, pricing and marketing of their common product(s).

29. __ Palace CAESARS
Caesars Palace is one of my favorite hotels on the Las Vegas strip, even though it is beginning to show its age. Caesars opened in 1966.

30. Kona cookout LUAU
Nowadays the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of “poi”, the bulbous underground stems of taro baked with coconut milk.

The Kona district on the Big Island of Hawaii is on the western side of the island. The largest town in Kona is Kailua-Kona. Kailua-Kona is often incorrectly referred to as “Kona”. The term “kona” translates as “leeward side of the island” in Hawaiian.

33. Buzz ASTRONAUT ALDRIN
Buzz Aldrin is a true American hero, I’d say. He flew 66 combat missions in Korea, shot down two MiGs, earned his Sc. D. degree from MIT, and was one of the two men who landed on the moon for the first time. Now that man, he has lived a life worth living.

39. Some discount stores KMARTS
Kmart is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and Target. Kmart is famous for its promotions known as “blue light specials”, a program first introduced in 1965 and discontinued in 1991. I remember being in a Kmart store soon after coming to live in the US. That evening an employee installed a light stand an aisle away from me, switched on a flashing blue light and there was some unintelligible announcement over the loudspeaker system. I had no idea what was going on …

44. Vicky in the Nixon White House POODLE
President Richard Nixon’s most famous dog was a cocker spaniel called Checkers. The Nixon family also owned a poodle called Vicky that was bought for daughter Julie.

49. Pre-1991 atlas initials SSR
The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

50. She played Ninotchka GRETA
“Ninotchka” is a 1939 movie starring Greta Garbo in the title role. The film is a comedy, and was the second-to-last film in which Garbo appeared. “Ninotchka” was the only full comedy that Garbo made in her career, and was marketed with the line “Garbo Laughs!”

51. Moon of Jupiter EUROPA
As are many celestial bodies, the moon of Jupiter called Europa was named after a figure in Greek mythology. Europa was a Phoenician woman who was abducted by Zeus. Of course, Europa also gave her name to the continent of Europe.

53. Coal-rich valley SAAR
The Saar is a river that rises on the border between Alsace and Lorraine in France, flows through western Germany and finally enters the Moselle. Historically the Saar river valley was an important source for coal, iron and steel.

58. Quito questionnaire catchall OTRO
The full name of the capital city of Ecuador is San Francisco de Quito. Quito is the second highest administrative capital city in the world, after La Paz, Bolivia.

61. Thomas who drew Santa NAST
Thomas Nast was an American caricaturist and cartoonist. He was the creator of the Republican Party elephant, the Democratic Party’s donkey, Uncle Sam and the image of the plump and jocular Santa Claus that we use today.

62. Hush-hush hookup TRYST
In its most general sense, a tryst is a meeting at an agreed time and place. More usually we consider a tryst to be a prearranged meeting between lovers. The term comes from the Old French “triste”, a waiting place designated when hunting.

Down
1. Schubert’s unfinished “Symphony No. 8 __ Minor” IN B
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was an Austrian composer, particularly noted for his large portfolio of lieder (songs). Schubert is also famous for his “Unfinished Symphony”. Schubert’s Symphony No. 7 was was left as a draft after he passed away, and as such was “unfinished”. However, it was more complete than his Symphony No. 8 which is the one we know as “The Unfinished”.

2. Saldana of recent “Star Trek” films ZOE
American actress Zoe Saldana played the Na’vi princess in “Avatar”, and Uhura in the 2009 movie “Star Trek”. Saldana seems to pick the right movies, as she is the only actress to have three different films in the top twenty at the box office for three consecutive weeks (“Avatar”, “The Losers” and “Death at a Funeral”).

3. Like some diamonds ONE-CARAT
A carat is a unit of mass used in measuring gemstones and is equal to 200 mg.

4. Qatar’s capital DOHA
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar located on the Persian Gulf. The name “Doha” translates from Arabic as “the big tree”.

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry.

7. Chevy K5 Blazer, since 1995 TAHOE
The Chevrolet Tahoe is basically the same design as the GMC Yukon, both cars being sports utility vehicles. The Tahoe is rated at 15 mpg for city driving, but there is a hybrid version which is rated at a whopping 21 mpg …

8. Swift-running bird EMU
The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

13. Beer-flavoring compounds ESTERS
Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic. Fats and oils found in nature are fatty acid esters of glycerol.

18. __-et-Vilaine: French department ILLE
Ille-et-Vilaine is a department in the northwest of France, in the Brittany region. The department is named for its two principal rivers, the Ille and the Vilaine, which meet in the department’s capital city of Rennes.

22. Pac-12 school UCLA
Pac-12 is an abbreviation for the Pacific-12 Conference, a college athletic conference in the western US. The Pac-12 has won more NCAA National Team Championships than any other conference. The Pac-12 was founded in 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). Over time as it grew, the conference went by the names Big Five, Big Six, Pacific-8, Pacific-10 and became the Pacific-12 in 2011.

23. Cross-shaped letters TAUS
Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, the letter which gave rise to our Roman “T”. Both the letters tau (T) and chi (X) have long been symbolically associated with the cross.

25. Rabbits’ tails SCUTS
A scut is short erect tail, like that on a rabbit or a deer.

26. Taberna snack TAPA
“Tapa” is the Spanish for “lid”, and there is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

“Taberna” is Spanish for “tavern”.

28. Ragtime round dance TURKEY TROT
The Turkey trot was a dance step popular in the early 1900s, often performed to ragtime music. It gained popularity because it was denounced by the Vatican, as some of the positions assumed were deemed suggestive and offensive.

31. Tibia neighbors TARSI
The tarsals (also “tarsi”) are the ankle bones, equivalent to the carpals in the wrist.

The tibia is the shin bone, the larger of the two bones right below the knee. The tibia is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shin bone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shin bones of animals.

34. Home of ConAgra Foods OMAHA
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska. When Nebraska was still a territory Omaha was its capital, but when Nebraska achieved statehood the capital was moved to the city of Lincoln.

ConAgra foods is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Even the name of the company defines it as the antithesis of the local “farmers market”. ConAgra is derived from the words “consolidated” and “agriculture”.

35. Simba’s love NALA
In “The Lion King”, Nala is a lioness and the childhood friend of Simba.

36. Marinara, e.g. RED SAUCE
Italians use the term “marinara” but not for a sauce, but in the name of a recipe. For example, “spaghetti alla marinara” would be a spaghetti dish. The literal translation of the name of this dish would be “mariner’s spaghetti”. The sauce that we call “marinara” is called “salsa di pomodoro” in Italy.

38. Nat or Phil NLER
The Washington Nationals baseball team started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats. There are only two Major Leagues teams that have never played in a World Series, one being the Mariners and the other the Nats.

Philadelphia’s baseball team was founded in 1883 as the Quakers, with the name changing to the Philadelphias and Phillies not long into the team’s history. The Phillies have been based in the same city using the same team name longer than any other team in US professional sports.

42. List of slips ERRATA
Errata is the past participle of the Latin word “errare” meaning “to err”. We use “errata” to mean a list of errors that have been noted in some publication.

45. Chiwere speaker OTOE
Chiwere is a Siouan language spoken by the Otoe people, as well as by the Missouria and Iowa peoples.

52. Nursery sch. PRE-K
Pre-kindergarten (pre-K)

“Kindergarten” is of course a German term, literally meaning “children’s garden”. The term was coined by the German education authority Friedrich Fröbel in 1837, when he used it as the name for his play and activity institute that he created for young children to use before they headed off to school. His thought was that children should be nourished educationally, like plants in a garden.

54. Manitoba hrs. CST
Manitoba is the Canadian province that borders the US states of North Dakota and Minnesota. Even though Manitoba has an area of over 250,000 square miles, 60% of its population resides in the province’s capital city of Winnipeg.

55. “__ House”: CSNY hit OUR
“Our House” was a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) in 1970. The song was written by Graham Nash, and refers to the relationship that Nash was having with singer Joni Mitchell at that time.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Preppy clothing brand IZOD
5. 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year JETER
10. __ club GLEE
14. It’s frowned upon NO-NO
15. Slangy event suffix -ORAMA
16. Forever and a day EONS
17. Buzz BEEHIVE HUM
19. Just as it should be TO A T
20. Patterned cotton cloth CALICO
21. Words said with an eagerly raised hand ASK ME!
22. Three-time Boston Marathon winner Pippig UTA
24. Buzz LATEST RUMOR
27. Monopoly player? CARTEL
29. __ Palace CAESARS
30. Kona cookout LUAU
31. Dome cover TOUPEE
33. Buzz ASTRONAUT ALDRIN
39. Some discount stores KMARTS
40. Squeal TELL
41. Fixes the weatherproofing on, say RESEALS
44. Vicky in the Nixon White House POODLE
46. Buzz ARMY HAIRCUT
49. Pre-1991 atlas initials SSR
50. She played Ninotchka GRETA
51. Moon of Jupiter EUROPA
53. Coal-rich valley SAAR
54. Buzz COFFEE RUSH
58. Quito questionnaire catchall OTRO
59. Treads the boards? SURFS
60. Bounce back ECHO
61. Thomas who drew Santa NAST
62. Hush-hush hookup TRYST
63. They hold the answers KEYS

Down
1. Schubert’s unfinished “Symphony No. 8 __ Minor” IN B
2. Saldana of recent “Star Trek” films ZOE
3. Like some diamonds ONE-CARAT
4. Qatar’s capital DOHA
5. Good-humored JOVIAL
6. Put up ERECT
7. Chevy K5 Blazer, since 1995 TAHOE
8. Swift-running bird EMU
9. Push firmly RAM
10. Learns to cope with GETS USED TO
11. “No hands!” lead-in LOOK, MA!
12. Enthrall ENAMOR
13. Beer-flavoring compounds ESTERS
18. __-et-Vilaine: French department ILLE
21. Tottering AREEL
22. Pac-12 school UCLA
23. Cross-shaped letters TAUS
25. Rabbits’ tails SCUTS
26. Taberna snack TAPA
28. Ragtime round dance TURKEY TROT
31. Tibia neighbors TARSI
32. Dead to the world OUT
34. Home of ConAgra Foods OMAHA
35. Simba’s love NALA
36. Marinara, e.g. RED SAUCE
37. Misfortunes ILLS
38. Nat or Phil NLER
41. Teases relentlessly RAGS ON
42. List of slips ERRATA
43. Window washer’s concern SMEARS
44. Least spoiled PUREST
45. Chiwere speaker OTOE
47. Toss back into the hot oil REFRY
48. Perp’s bracelets CUFFS
52. Nursery sch. PRE-K
54. Manitoba hrs. CST
55. “__ House”: CSNY hit OUR
56. Reserved SHY
57. 5-Down laughs HOS

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