LA Times Crossword Answers 11 Sep 13, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: David Poole
THEME: Fords … today’s themed answers all start with the name of a Ford automobile:

20A. Accommodating work hours FLEX SCHEDULES
32A. Market research panel FOCUS GROUP
41A. Frito-Lay is its title sponsor FIESTA BOWL
52A. Culinary combination FUSION CUISINE

65A. Company that manufactures the starts of 20-, 32-, 41- and 52-Across FORD

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 06m 16s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Chiang Mai native THAI
Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand and is located about 435 miles north of the capital of Bangkok. The name “Chiang Mai” translates as “new city”.

15. Ira Gershwin contribution LYRIC
Ira Gershwin was the lyricist who worked with his brother George to create such American classics as the songs “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me”, as well as the opera “Porgy and Bess”. After George Gershwin died, Ira continued to create great music, working with the likes of Jerome Kern and Kurt Weill.

16. Indiana neighbor OHIO
The state of Ohio takes its name from the Ohio River, and in turn river takes its name from the Iroquois “ohi-yo”, which translates as “large creek”.

17. Palindromic fashion mag ELLE
“Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”.

19. “Walking in Memphis” singer Cohn MARC
Marc Cohn is an American country singer, best known for his 1991 hit “Walking in Memphis”, a lovely song. A few years ago, someone tried to carjack Cohn in Denver, Colorado, and left him shot in the head. Fortunately, the bullet did not penetrate the skull, and his injury was relatively minor.

24. “O Sole __” MIO
“‘O sole mio” is a famous Italian song from Naples, written in 1898. The song’s lyrics are usually sung in the original Neapolitan, as opposed to Italian. The title translates from Neapolitan into “My Sun” (and not into “O, My Sun” as one might expect). It’s a love song of course, sung by a young man declaring that there is a sun brighter than that in the sky, the sun that is his lover’s face. Awww …

25. Harper’s __ BAZAAR
“Harper’s Bazaar” was first published in 1867, making it the first women’s fashion magazine to hit the newsstands.

28. Chewie’s shipmate HAN
Han Solo is the space smuggler in “Star Wars” played by Harrison Ford. Ford was originally hired by George Lucas just to read lines for actors during auditions for “Star Wars”, but over time Lucas became convinced that Ford was right for the pivotal role of Han Solo.

Wookiees are a biped race featured in “Star Wars”, the most notable being Chewbacca, the loyal friend and associate of Han Solo.

29. Béchamel base ROUX
A roux is a mixture of wheat flour and clarified butter (or other fat) cooked together until it can be used as a thickening agent. Roux is an essential ingredient in French cooking, although “healthier” versions are being used more and more these days.

Béchamel sauce is a roux made from butter and flour cooked in milk. It is sometimes known simply as white sauce. Béchamel is also considered the “mother sauce” in French cuisine as it is the base of other sauces. For example, Mornay sauce is Béchamel with cheese.

31. Monopoly deed abbr. AVE
The commercial game of Monopoly is supposedly a remake of “The Landlord’s Game” created in 1903 by a Quaker woman called Lizzie Phillips. Phillips used her game as a tool to explain the single tax theory of American economist Henry George. The Landlord’s Game was first produced commercially in 1924. The incredibly successful derivative game called Monopoly was introduced in 1933 by Charles Darrow, who became a very rich man when Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game just two years later in 1935.

37. Fairway boundary ROUGH
The fairway is bounded by the rough, on a golf course.

38. Part of i.e. EST
i.e. = id est = that is …

39. Biblical prophet HOSEA
Hosea was one of the Twelve Prophets of the Hebrew Bible, also called the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.

41. Frito-Lay is its title sponsor FIESTA BOWL
The Fiesta Bowl is a college football bowl game played every year at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona.

The Frito Corporation was started in 1932 by Elmer Doolin, basically in his mother’s kitchen. Doolin paid $100 for a corn chip recipe from a local restaurant and started producing Fritos at the rate of 10 pounds per day.

Lay’s potato chips were introduced in 1938 by Herman W. Lay. Lay started selling his chips out the trunk of his car, travelling all over the US. In those days the chips were pretty much handmade, but Lay put an end to that in 1942. He invented the first continuous potato processor in 1948, and chips started to take over the world!

43. Mark of Zorro ZEE
The character Zorro was created by Johnston McCulley in 1919 for a series of stories and pulp fiction. The name “Zorro” is the secret identity of a Spanish colonial nobleman called Don Diego de la Vega. “Zorro” is Spanish for “fox”.

44. Action on eBay BIDS
eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb as part of a computer programmer’s personal website. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer collected broken laser pointers …

45. USN rank ENS
Ensign is (usually) the most junior rank of commissioned officer in the armed forces. The name comes from the tradition that the junior officer would be given the task of carrying the ensign flag.

46. Acquirer of more than 1,000 patents EDISON
Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents in his name in the US, and 2,332 patents worldwide.

48. It includes mayo ANO
May (mayo) is one of the months in the Spanish year (año).

49. SUV part: Abbr. VEH
The term SUV, an acronym for Sports Utility Vehicle, was introduced by our marketing friends. Using the term Sports Utility Vehicle was a very clever way to get us to pay a lot of money for what was essentially a station wagon on a truck chassis, or at least it was back then.

52. Culinary combination FUSION CUISINE
Fusion cuisine combines elements from different cuisines.

56. Roger Rabbit or Bugs Bunny TOON
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” was released in 1988, a clever film featuring cartoon characters that interact directly with human beings. The film is based on a novel written by Gary K. Wolf, called “Who Censored Roger Rabbit?” There is a prequel floating around that has never been produced, and it’s called “Who Discovered Roger Rabbit”.

Bugs Bunny first said “What’s up, Doc?” in the 1940 cartoon short “A Wild Hare”, addressing the hunter Elmer Fudd.

58. Heart of Paris? COEUR
“Coeur” is the French for “heart”.

59. Old Norse poetry collection EDDA
The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in the 13th century, in Iceland.

61. Rockne of Notre Dame fame KNUTE
Knute Rockne, America’s most famous football coach many say, was born in the city of Voss in Norway. He came to the United States with his family when he was 5-years-old. Years later he graduated Notre Dame with a degree in Chemistry, but abandoned that career path when he was offered his first real coaching job.

64. “Bullitt” director Peter YATES
Peter Yates was an English film director and producer. His first film as a director is very well known by folks back in my part of the world. Released in 1963, the film “Summer Holiday” is a very lightweight vehicle for the singer Cliff Richard. Over in the US Yates is better remembered for directing the likes of “Bullitt” (1968), “Breaking Away” (1979) and “The Deep” (1977).

The famous 1968 film “Bullitt” stars Steve McQueen and the lovely Jacqueline Bisset. If you want to read the novel on which the film’s screenplay was based, you can check out “Mute Witness” by Robert L. Fish, published in 1963. It may seem dated now, but the movie’s car chase scene created quite a buzz in its day. The chase through the streets of San Francisco goes on for 9 minutes and 42 seconds, and took three weeks to film. McQueen did the vast majority of the stunt driving himself, but he was doubled in the more risky moves by stuntman Bud Ekins. Ekins also doubled for McQueen in “The Great Escape” in that famous scene where McQueen’s character rode a motorcycle over a barbed wire fence.

Down
3. “Over the Rainbow” composer ARLEN
Harold Arlen is a composer of popular music who will forever be associated with his composition “Over the Rainbow” from the movie “The Wizard of Oz”. Arlen also composed the music to “Come Rain or Come Shine”, “It’s Only a Paper Moon”, “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” and the wonderful “Stormy Weather”.

“Over the Rainbow” is a classic song written especially for the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz”. It was sung by the young Judy Garland in the film, and it was to become her signature song. There is an introductory verse that wasn’t used in the movie, and is very rarely heard:

When all the world is a hopeless jumble
And the raindrops tumble all around,
Heaven opens a magic lane
When all the clouds darken up the skyway,
There’s a rainbow highway to be found
Leading from your window pane
To a place behind the sun,
Just a step beyond the rain

There is also a second chorus that was intended to be in the movie, but it ended up on the cutting room floor:

Someday I’ll wake and rub my eyes
And in that land beyond the skies,
You’ll find me
I’ll be a laughing daffodil
And leave the silly cares that fill
My mind behind me

4. Wild mountain goat IBEX
Ibex is a common name for various species of mountain goat. “Ibex” is a Latin name that was used for wild goats found in the Alps and Apennines in Europe.

6. Danish astronomer Brahe TYCHO
Tycho Brahe was an astronomer and contemporary of Galileo. Brahe lost his nose in a duel, and wore a replacement made of either silver or gold that was pasted onto his face!

7. Toledo’s lake ERIE
Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes (Lake Ontario is the smallest). The lake takes its name from the Erie tribe of Native Americans that used to live along its southern shore. Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, something for which nearby residents must be quite grateful. Being relatively shallow, Erie freezes over part way through most winters putting an end to the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake’s edge.

Toledo, Ohio lies in the northwest of the state, at the western end of Lake Erie. Toledo was founded as a result of the prosperity that hit the area when the Miami and Erie Canal was constructed in the 19th century connecting Cincinnati to the Great Lakes.

8. Mottled PIED
Something described as “pied” is patchy or splotchy in color, piebald. The term comes from the Middle English “pie”, an old name for the magpie, and is a reference to the bird’s black and white plumage.

10. Lefty in Cooperstown GOMEZ
Vernon “Lefty” Gomez was a left-handed pitcher who played Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1943. Gomez was on the World Series winning team five times, always with the New York Yankees. Having played virtually his whole career with the Yankees, Gomez was sold to the Boston Braves in 1943. Without having played a single game for the Braves, he was released from his contract later that year and signed with the Washington Senators. After playing just one game with the Senators, Gomez retired.

11. Small Asian pooch bred as a watchdog LHASA APSO
The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after Lhasa (the capital city) and apso (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

22. Lenient LAX
Our word “lax”, meaning lenient, was originally used to mean “loose” and was a reference to an unfortunate condition of the bowels. The term ultimately derives from the Latin “laxus”, which translates as “wide, open, loose”. That would explain how we ended up with the term “laxative”.

26. Miller’s “__ From the Bridge” A VIEW
“A View From the Bridge” is a play by Arthur Miller. It has an unusual structure for a play first performed in 1955 in that it is a verse-drama, meaning that all of the dialog is spoken in the form of verse, somewhat like the works of Shakespeare.

Arthur Miller was a remarkable playwright, best known for his plays “Death of a Salesman” and “The Crucible”. Famously, Arthur Miller left his first wife to marry Marilyn Monroe in 1956. The two divorced five years later, just over a year before Monroe died of an apparent drug overdose.

27. Kidney-related RENAL
“Ren” is the Latin word for “kidney”.

28. “Les Misérables” author HUGO
Victor Hugo was a French poet and playwright, known in his native country mainly for his poetry. However, outside of France, Hugo is perhaps more closely associated with his novels such as “Les Misérables” and “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”.

Victor Hugo’s famous 1862 novel “Les Misérables”, has been translated into English several times. However, the title is usually left in the original French as a successful translation of “les misérables” seems to be elusive. Some suggestions for an English title are “The Wretched”, “The Victims” and “The Dispossessed”.

29. Derby prize ROSES
The first Kentucky Derby was run in 1875, and is a race modelled on the Epsom Derby in England and the Grand Prix de Paris (now called the “Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe”). As such, The Kentucky Derby was run over 1½ miles, although in 1896 this was shortened to 1¼ miles. The winning horse is presented with a very elaborate blanket made of red roses.

34. Babylonian writing system CUNEIFORM
Cuneiform writing is a very early form of written expression that uses characters that are variants of a wedge shape. The first form of cuneiform writing was developed in Sumer (in modern-day Iraq), and was largely a system of pictographs. Over time, the number of characters decreased and became smaller and simpler, until they eventually evolved into the characters that we use in alphabetic writing today.

Babylon was a city-state in ancient Mesopotamia that was built on the Euphrates river, about 50 miles south of modern-day Baghdad. The city is famous as home to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

35. Senate majority leader since 2007 REID
Democrat Harry Reid became the Senate Majority leader in 2007. Reid had a big day in the Senate from a Democratic perspective with the successful passage of the so-called ObamaCare Bill. Paradoxically, Harry Reid’s wife was in hospital at the time, having broken her back in a car accident. Reid took over as Senate Majority leader from Bill Frist who retired from politics in 2007.

39. Capital west of Haiphong HANOI
Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City.

Haiphong is the third largest city in Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Haiphong is in the northeast of the country and is an important seaport. “Haiphong” translates into English as “coastal defence”.

44. A.L. East team BOS
The Boston Red Sox is one of the most successful Major League Baseball teams and so commands a large attendance, but only when on the road. The relatively small capacity of Boston’s Fenway Park, the team’s home since 1912, has dictated that every game the Red Sox has played there has been a sell out since May of 2003.

48. Like the accent in “entrée” ACUTE
“Entrée” of course means “entry” in French. An entrée can be something that helps one get “a way in”, an interview for example perhaps helped along by a recommendation letter. In Europe, even in English-speaking countries, the entrée is the name for the “entry” to the meal, the first course. I found it very confusing to order meals when I first came to America!

53. Chaplin’s last wife OONA
Oona O’Neill dated J. D. Salinger and Orson Welles in her teens, but ended up marrying Charlie Chaplin. Oona was still pretty young when she married Chaplin, much to the dismay of her famous father, the playwright Eugene O’Neill. After the marriage Eugene disowned Oona as he was pretty upset about 54-year-old Chaplin marrying his 18-year-old daughter.

55. Narcissist’s love SELF
Narcissus was a proud and vain hunter in Greek mythology. He earned himself a fatal punishment, being made fall in love with his own reflection in a pool. So, take was he by his own image, that he could not leave it and wasted away and died by the pool.

56. Darjeeling, e.g. TEA
Darjeeling tea comes from the Darjeeling district of West Bengal in India.

57. Scull propeller OAR
A scull is a boat used for competitive rowing. The main hull of the boat is often referred to as a shell. Crew members who row the boat can be referred to as “oars”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Chiang Mai native THAI
5. Dance moves STEPS
10. Cheerful GLAD
14. Mint, e.g. HERB
15. Ira Gershwin contribution LYRIC
16. Indiana neighbor OHIO
17. Palindromic fashion mag ELLE
18. More aloof ICIER
19. “Walking in Memphis” singer Cohn MARC
20. Accommodating work hours FLEX SCHEDULES
23. Large amount TON
24. “O Sole __” MIO
25. Harper’s __ BAZAAR
28. Chewie’s shipmate HAN
29. Béchamel base ROUX
31. Monopoly deed abbr. AVE
32. Market research panel FOCUS GROUP
36. Laundry cycle SPIN
37. Fairway boundary ROUGH
38. Part of i.e. EST
39. Biblical prophet HOSEA
40. “Yikes!” OH NO!
41. Frito-Lay is its title sponsor FIESTA BOWL
43. Mark of Zorro ZEE
44. Action on eBay BIDS
45. USN rank ENS
46. Acquirer of more than 1,000 patents EDISON
48. It includes mayo ANO
49. SUV part: Abbr. VEH
52. Culinary combination FUSION CUISINE
56. Roger Rabbit or Bugs Bunny TOON
58. Heart of Paris? COEUR
59. Old Norse poetry collection EDDA
60. Bring in EARN
61. Rockne of Notre Dame fame KNUTE
62. Look slyly LEER
63. Multitude ARMY
64. “Bullitt” director Peter YATES
65. Company that manufactures the starts of 20-, 32-, 41- and 52-Across FORD

Down
1. Taking the wrong way? THEFT
2. Nametag greeting HELLO
3. “Over the Rainbow” composer ARLEN
4. Wild mountain goat IBEX
5. Deli worker’s chore SLICING
6. Danish astronomer Brahe TYCHO
7. Toledo’s lake ERIE
8. Mottled PIED
9. Prepare for surgery SCRUB UP
10. Lefty in Cooperstown GOMEZ
11. Small Asian pooch bred as a watchdog LHASA APSO
12. Balloon filler AIR
13. Medical nickname DOC
21. Big success SMASH
22. Lenient LAX
26. Miller’s “__ From the Bridge” A VIEW
27. Kidney-related RENAL
28. “Les Misérables” author HUGO
29. Derby prize ROSES
30. Ways of escape OUTS
32. Succumbed to stage fright FROZE
33. Wondered aloud? OOHED
34. Babylonian writing system CUNEIFORM
35. Senate majority leader since 2007 REID
36. Weeps convulsively SOBS
39. Capital west of Haiphong HANOI
41. Hard to please FINICKY
42. Grants permanent status to, as a professor TENURES
44. A.L. East team BOS
47. Golf-friendly forecast SUNNY
48. Like the accent in “entrée” ACUTE
49. Wedding memento VIDEO
50. Rear-__ ENDER
51. Found out HEARD
53. Chaplin’s last wife OONA
54. Neither masc. nor fem. NEUT
55. Narcissist’s love SELF
56. Darjeeling, e.g. TEA
57. Scull propeller OAR

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7 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 11 Sep 13, Wednesday”

  1. Bill, a charming blog – so much learning. I must be getting mature, because some of your answers, I seem to remember, by rote. Lol – still a lot of fun.

    Not much problem, with the puzzle – really, really, enjoyed it. Thank you, very much, David Poole.

    My nephew's wife hails from Chiang Mai.

    Some Indians, in India, – who have relatives in the US, refer to my state as O-H Ten…… I didn't have the heart to correct them…

    Are Roux (es ?) cooked by roues ( definition – a man devoted to sensual pleasures …), ? It is perhaps, all right for Frenchmen, who are diet conscious to cook such hi cholesterol meals – but in obese USA, this is a formula for disaster.

    I don't eat out much, but I always thought that the entree was the main meal. Oftentimes, it is the only thing I order.

    Have a nice day, and thanks again.

  2. Hi there, Vidwan.

    I can only take half the blame for the repetition in the posts. Sadly, somethings turn up in puzzles over and over again 🙂

    "O-H Ten" … well, that is very odd, but perfectly understandable. And interesting!

  3. I have to admit,
    Cuneiform and fusion cuisine were new to me. Only got them by the crosses.
    But that's what makes a puzzle a puzzle.

  4. Hi there, Addict.

    I've only had one brush with fusion cuisine: a meal in a fancy "Cuban-Asian fusion" restaurant in San Francisco. The adjectives that come to mind are "overpriced" and "pretentious".

    Congrats on the finish, Addict.

  5. I solved 48 across but I wasn't happy about it. 😉 I thought the answer should have to do something with a recipe.
    Personally I don't like when setters include foreign words..just an ongoing quibble of mine.

  6. Hi there, Brooke.

    I must say, I am not that fond of foreign words in an English-language puzzle myself. The exception is words that have become familiar in daily life, and not just in crosswords.

Comments are closed.