LA Times Crossword Answers 14 Oct 13, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: C.C. Burnikel
THEME: Backtrack … each of today’s themed answers ends with a word that is often followed by TRACK:

17A. Long-running musical variety TV show SOUL TRAIN (giving “train track”)
25A. Pre-playoffs baseball drama PENNANT RACE (giving “race track”)
38A. Final triumph after apparent failure LAST LAUGH (giving “laugh track”)
56A. Offensive in the First Gulf War DESERT STORM (giving “storm track”)
66A. Retrace one’s steps, and what ends of 17-, 25-, 38- and 56-Across can literally have BACKTRACK

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 07m 11s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Actor Damon MATT
Matt Damon is an actor and screenwriter from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Damon’s big break came with the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting” in which he starred. He co-wrote the screenplay with his childhood friend Ben Affleck.

9. Relatively cool heavenly body S STAR
Stars are usually classified based on the color of the light that they emit. These classifications are, from hottest to coolest, O, B, A, F, G, K and M. One way to remember the order of these letters is to use the mnemonic “Oh, be a fine girl, kiss me”. The colors of these stars range from blue (class O) to red (class M). Our sun is class G, a yellow star, but I think we all know that …

Red giants are very large stars with a relatively low mass. The atmosphere of a red giant is also very inflated and extends a long way into space so the surface of that atmosphere that we see is relatively cool, which gives it a red color. Stars are classified by their spectral characteristics, basically the color of the light they emit. As such, red giants are classified as M stars. Cool red giants are of a color beyond the usual range, and are classified as S stars.

14. Suffix with buck -AROO
The American English word “buckaroo” comes from “vaquero”, the Spanish for cowboy.

15. Grocery section DELI
The word “delicatessen” (or “deli” for short) came into English from the German “Delikatessen”. The Germans borrowed the word from French, in which language “délicatesse” means “delicious things (to eat)”. The term’s ultimate root is “delicatus”, the Latin for “giving pleasure, delightful”.

17. Long-running musical variety TV show SOUL TRAIN (giving “train track”)
“Soul Train” is a musical variety show featuring mainly R&B, soul and hip hop artists that originally aired from 1971 to 2006. “Soul Train” was the longest-running, nationally syndicated television show in history, with more than 1,100 episodes. “Entertainment Tonight” and “Wheel of Fortune” come in second and third place in that “race”, and they are still being aired.

21. Fair-hiring abbr. EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Commission was set up by the Civil Rights Act.

23. Wiesel who said, “Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil” ELIE
Elie Wiesel is a holocaust survivor, best known for his book “Night” that tells of his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

31. Sudoku grid line ROW
Number puzzles similar to our modern-day Sudoku first appeared in French newspapers in the late 1800s. The format that we use today was created by Howard Garns, a 74-year-old freelance puzzle constructor from Connersville, Indiana and first published in 1979. The format was introduced in Japan in 1984 and given the title of “Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru”, which translates to “the digits are limited to one occurrence”. The rather elaborate Japanese title was eventually shortened to Sudoku. No doubt many of you are fans of Sudoku puzzles. I know I am …

32. Honorary legal deg. LLD
The honorary degree of Legum Doctor (LL.D.) translates from the Latin as Doctor of Laws, a plural. This practice of using the plural originated in Cambridge University in England, as one was awarded an LL.D. after having been taught both Canon Law and Civil Law.

33. ’30s-’40s film dog ASTA
Asta is the wonderful little dog in the superb movie “The Thin Man” starring William Powell and Myrna Loy (as Nick and Nora Charles). In the original story by Dashiell Hammett, Asta was a female Schnauzer, but on screen Asta was played by a wire-haired fox terrier called “Skippy”. Skippy was also the dog in “Bringing up Baby” with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, the one who kept stealing the dinosaur bone. Skippy retired in 1939, so Asta was played by other dogs in the remainder of “The Thin Man” films.

36. Man and Capri ISLES
The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn’t part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

The Isle of Capri off the coast of Southern Italy has been a tourist resort since the days of ancient Rome. Capri is home to the famous Blue Grotto, a sea cave that is illuminated with sunlight that’s colored blue as it passes through the seawater into the cave.

38. Final triumph after apparent failure LAST LAUGH (giving “laugh track”)
A “laugh track” is a separate soundtrack containing audience laughter that is added to a recorded comedy performance. Personally, I can’t stand hearing an “obvious” laugh track, but tests consistently demonstrate that shows broadcast with a laugh track fare better than shows filmed without any audience reaction at all. Fortunately, comedy shows are now being recorded more and more without an audience, and without a laugh track. Great examples are “The Middle”, “Modern Family”, “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation”.

42. Fancy mushroom MOREL
The morel is that genus of mushroom with the honeycomb-like structure on the cap. They’re highly prized, especially in French cuisine. Morels should never be eaten raw as they are toxic, with the toxins being removed by thorough cooking.

45. Metric distances: Abbr. KMS
Kilometers (kms.)

“Kilometer” is a word that for some reason always gets an overly emotional reaction from me. Firstly, I am a big fan of the metric system and would happily forego the eccentricities of the miles, yards and feet that I grew up with. Secondly, I have to remember to change the spelling from “kilometre” that I learned at school, to “kilometer” that is used in the US. Thirdly, I get some funny looks for pronouncing the word as “KIL-ometer”, the pronunciation most common in English-speaking countries that use the metric system. Here in the US the most common pronunciation is “kil-OM-eter”. Maybe I should learn not to sweat the small stuff …

46. Roadies’ loads AMPS
A “roadie” is someone who loads, unloads and sets up equipment for musicians on tour, on the road.

51. Yale student ELI
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).

54. Kevin Kline’s “French Kiss” co-star MEG RYAN
Meg Ryan is the stage name of the actress Margaret Mary Hyra. Ryan’s big break came with the excellent 1989 movie “When Harry Met Sally” from which she went on to star in some of the greatest romantic comedies ever made.

The actor Kevin Kline stars in many of my favorite films, like “French Kiss” (in which he had a very impressive French accent) and “A Fish Called Wanda.” Kline also appeared in the romantic comedy “In & Out”, another favorite. “In & Out” is perhaps best remembered for it’s dramatic “interaction” between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck … if you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t spoil it for you by saying any more!

“French Kiss” is an excellent romantic comedy released in q995 starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. It’s all about an American woman (Meg Ryan) who flies to France to win back her fiance, but gets involved with a French crook (Kevin Kline). The role of the crook was originally written for French actor Gérard Depardieu, but he wasn’t available at the time of filming. I think that American Kevin Kline did a fabulous job replacing Depardieu …

56. Offensive in the First Gulf War DESERT STORM (giving “storm track”)
Many of us tend to use “Operation Desert Storm” as the overall name for the conflict more correctly called the Persian Gulf War. Operation Desert Storm was in fact just the air and land battle that took place between January 17th and April 11th 1991. The buildup of forces was called Operation Desert Shield, and the withdrawal of forces after the liberation of Kuwait was known as Operation Desert Farewell.

Tropical and extratropical cycles tend to travel around the planet along well-defined east-west paths north and south of the equator. These paths are known as ‘storm tracks”.

59. __-Caps: candy SNO
Sno-Caps are a brand of candy usually only available in movie theaters. Sno-caps have been around since the 1920s, would you believe?

60. Bug-killing brand D-CON
“d-Con” is a line of rodent control products that has been around for over 50 years.

61. Deer daughter DOE
A male deer is usually called a “buck”, and a female a “doe”.

62. How some stock is sold AT PAR
Stocks, and other financial vehicles, may be sold “at par”, meaning at the original price, not discounted nor at a premium.

70. Mine, to Mimi A MOI
“À moi” (literally “to me”) is the French for “mine”.

71. Java Freeze brand ICEE
The Icee company makes iced-coffee drinks under the brand name “Java Freeze”.

Down
1. Eyelash application MASCARA
“Mascara” is a Spanish word meaning “stain, mask”.

4. Turnpike fee TOLL
Back in the 15th century a “turnpike” was a defensive barrier across a road. By the 17th century the term was used for a barrier that stopped travellers until a toll was paid. By the 18th century a turnpike was the name given to a road with a toll.

5. Pres. on a dime FDR
President Roosevelt was a major driver in the founding of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. The Foundation’s most successful fund raising campaign was to encourage the public to just send a dime to support the charity, so that even before the Foundation officially changed its name, the public were already calling it March of Dimes. After President Roosevelt passed away in office, Congress passed legislation calling for a new design for the dime, one featuring the image of FDR. The Roosevelt dime was introduced in 1946, on the day that would have been the President’s 64th birthday.

6. “Glee” actress __ Michele LEA
Lea Michele is both an actor and a singer and started performing as a child actor on Broadway, including appearances in “Les Miserables” and “Fiddler on the Roof”. These days Michele plays Rachel Berry on the Fox TV show “Glee”.

8. Karaoke singer’s ineptitude, to the chagrin of the audience TIN EAR
“Karaoke” translates from Japanese as “open orchestra”, and the related word “karate” translates as “open hand”.

9. Gas additive letters STP
STP motor oil takes its name from the phrase “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

22. John’s Yoko ONO
John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a very public honeymoon in a hotels in Amsterdam and then Montreal, when they staged their famous “bed-in” for peace. In answering questions from reporters Lennon found himself often repeating the words “give peace a chance”. While still in bed, he composed his famous song “Give Peace a Chance” and even made the original recording of the song in the Montreal hotel room, with reporters present, and with a whole bunch of friends. The song was released later in 1969 and became a smash hit.

27. Bagel shop call NEXT
The bagel was invented in the Polish city of Kraków in the 16th century. Bagels were brought to this country by Jewish immigrants from Poland who mainly established homes in and around New York City.

37. __-Pei: wrinkly dog SHAR
The Shar Pei breed of dog is that one with the wrinkly face and really dark tongue. The breed originated in China, with “Shar Pei” being the British spelling of the Cantonese name.

39. Angel or Athletic, briefly ALER
The Anaheim Angels baseball team are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim.

The Oakland Athletics baseball franchise was founded back in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics. The team became the Kansas City Athletics in 1955 and moved to Oakland in 1968.

44. Trattoria rice dish RISOTTO
Risotto is an Italian rice dish that is usually served as a first course in Italy, but as a main course here in North America.

A trattoria is an Italian restaurant. In Italian, a “trattore” is the keeper of an eating house.

47. Leader in social networking until 2008 MYSPACE
From 2005 to 2008, Myspace was the most popular social networking site in the world, getting even more hits than the Google website for a while in 2006. But, the site’s popularity is declining, as it loses market share to Facebook. In 2011 Myspace was sold to Specific Media, with singer Justin Timberlake taking a major ownership share in the company. Myspace now has a string music emphasis.

48. Cure-all PANACEA
Panacea was the Greek goddess of healing. She lent her name to the term “panacea” that was used by alchemists to describe the beguiling remedy that could cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely.

49. Enjoy coral reefs SNORKEL
Our word “snorkel” comes from German navy slang “Schnorchel” meaning “nose, snout”. The German slang was applied to an airshaft used for submarines, due to its resemblance to a nose, in that air passed through it and it made a “snoring” sound. “Schnorchel” comes from “Schnarchen”, the German for “snore”.

52. Inc., in the U.K. LTD
In Britain and Ireland the most common type of business (my perception anyway) is one that has private shareholders whose liability is limited to the value of their investment. Such a company is known as a private limited company, and has the letters “Ltd” after the name. If the shares are publicly traded, then the company is a public limited company, and has the letters “plc” after the name.

53. Meteorologist’s pressure line ISOBAR
An isobar is a line on a weather map connecting points of equal barometric pressure.

55. Future MBA’s exam GMAT
If you want to get into a business school’s graduate program then you might have to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), which will cost you about $250, I believe …

57. Actress Georgia of “Everybody Loves Raymond” ENGEL
Georgia Engel is a very funny comedy actress who is best known for playing Georgette Baxter, wife of Ted Baxter, on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. Engel’s father was a Vice Admiral in the Coast Guard, and her sister was Miss Hawaii for 1967.

58. Julio’s “I love you” TE AMO
In Spanish one might say “I love you” (te amo) with flowers (con flores).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Actor Damon MATT
5. Like unfizzy soda FLAT
9. Relatively cool heavenly body S STAR
14. Suffix with buck -AROO
15. Grocery section DELI
16. “All done!” THERE!
17. Long-running musical variety TV show SOUL TRAIN (giving “train track”)
19. Hunter’s hides PELTS
20. Spiral-shaped __ fries CURLY
21. Fair-hiring abbr. EEO
23. Wiesel who said, “Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil” ELIE
24. “Just __ suspected!” AS I
25. Pre-playoffs baseball drama PENNANT RACE (giving “race track”)
29. Work on, as a vintage auto RESTORE
31. Sudoku grid line ROW
32. Honorary legal deg. LLD
33. ’30s-’40s film dog ASTA
34. Logger’s tool AXE
36. Man and Capri ISLES
38. Final triumph after apparent failure LAST LAUGH (giving “laugh track”)
42. Fancy mushroom MOREL
45. Metric distances: Abbr. KMS
46. Roadies’ loads AMPS
50. Prefix with sex UNI-
51. Yale student ELI
54. Kevin Kline’s “French Kiss” co-star MEG RYAN
56. Offensive in the First Gulf War DESERT STORM (giving “storm track”)
59. __-Caps: candy SNO
60. Bug-killing brand D-CON
61. Deer daughter DOE
62. How some stock is sold AT PAR
64. Sent to the unemployment line LET GO
66. Retrace one’s steps, and what ends of 17-, 25-, 38- and 56-Across can literally have BACKTRACK
69. Key in ENTER
70. Mine, to Mimi A MOI
71. Java Freeze brand ICEE
72. Swiped STOLE
73. Tree anchor ROOT
74. Breakfast, e.g. MEAL

Down
1. Eyelash application MASCARA
2. Stirs to action AROUSES
3. One of a vacationing busload TOURIST
4. Turnpike fee TOLL
5. Pres. on a dime FDR
6. “Glee” actress __ Michele LEA
7. Sci-fi invader ALIEN
8. Karaoke singer’s ineptitude, to the chagrin of the audience TIN EAR
9. Gas additive letters STP
10. See-through SHEER
11. Revealing, as a celeb interview TELL-ALL
12. “An” or “the” ARTICLE
13. Tends to a lawn’s bare spot RESEEDS
18. AutoCorrect target TYPO
22. John’s Yoko ONO
26. Distinctive periods ERAS
27. Bagel shop call NEXT
28. Itty-bitty branch TWIG
30. Fish story TALE
35. Moose relative ELK
37. __-Pei: wrinkly dog SHAR
39. Angel or Athletic, briefly ALER
40. Rifle range need AMMO
41. Laptop operator USER
42. Confuses MUDDLES
43. Price of bubble gum, once ONE CENT
44. Trattoria rice dish RISOTTO
47. Leader in social networking until 2008 MYSPACE
48. Cure-all PANACEA
49. Enjoy coral reefs SNORKEL
52. Inc., in the U.K. LTD
53. Meteorologist’s pressure line ISOBAR
55. Future MBA’s exam GMAT
57. Actress Georgia of “Everybody Loves Raymond” ENGEL
58. Julio’s “I love you” TE AMO
63. Quick haircut TRIM
65. Profitable rock ORE
67. Suitor’s murmur COO
68. Model-ship-to-be KIT

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4 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 14 Oct 13, Monday”

  1. Bill, the L A T. puzzle is not yet " up" , online, …. so I tried not to read your answers too closely. But the blog itself was a wonderful learning experience …..

    BTW, today's LAT constructor, Ms. CC Burnickel , the blog mistress of the other blog, ALSO has constructed, today's NYT puzzle ( together with D Scott Nichols! a fellow blogmeister -) ….. A double header, how about that ……?

    Regarding: LL.D. — when I graduated from an Indian university (Bombay U.) way back when …. The chancellor of the university, was a politician, who was not fluent in English, and definitely not in Latin.

    While conferring a LL. D. Degree to a famous economist, all he was supposed to say, was, 'I award and confer on you, this degree, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa ……'

    Instead, puffed with his own, self importance, he orated, ….. '. I hereby award and confer on you, this degree, …. Doctor of Lousa, honoris causa.'

    (Don't knock it …. Hey, it rhymes -).

    only some of the graduates, in the graduating class, noticed the error…..

    I am also reminded of my 7th grade math teacher, who told my fellow classmate, ….. a young girl ….

    'I know your father, intimately, young lady, …. So don't lie with me in class'.

    Two jokes are enough for a Monday morning.

    Have a nice day.

  2. Hi there, Vidwan.

    I also noted that Ms. Burnikel hit the double today. Congratulations are very deserved. I've seen "the double" only once before as I recall.

    A couple of great school tales there, Vidwan. Happy days 🙂

  3. Another alternate spelling for Buck-
    (eroo or aroo).
    No idea about GMAT.
    Yawn for today and yesterday only got Strauss and Hairnet. Wasn't in the mood to struggle on Sunday.
    Early and long day today and Really
    crummy traffic, but I wanted to check in and say Thanks, Bill! See you tomorrow.

Comments are closed.