LA Times Crossword Answers 25 Dec 13, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Marcia Mathis
THEME: Christmas Comes First … Merry Christmas, everyone. Today’s themed answers start with a word associated with Christmas:

17A. Breeders’ Cup track SANTA ANITA
28A. Horticulturist with a berry named for him RUDOLPH BOYSEN
47A. 2000 Ben Affleck thriller REINDEER GAMES
63A. Classic Leroy Anderson holiday tune SLEIGH RIDE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 11m 28s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

5. Arafat’s successor ABBAS
Mahmoud Abbas took over as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 2004 after the death of Yasser Arafat. Abbas is also the President of the Palestinian National Authority, equivalent to “head of state”.

Yasser (also Yasir) Arafat was born in Cairo in 1929, the son of two Palestinians and the second-youngest of seven children. Arafat was beaten by his father as a child and so did not have a good relationship with him. Arafat did not attend his father’s funeral, nor did he visit his grave. The beatings were apparently administered because the young Arafat was repeatedly attending religious services in the Jewish quarter of Cairo. Arafat’s explanation was that he wanted to “study the mentality” of the Jewish people.

15. “Tales of Trail and Town” author HARTE
Harte was a storyteller noted for his tales of the American West, even though he himself was from back East, born in Albany, New York.

17. Breeders’ Cup track SANTA ANITA
Santa Anita Park is a racetrack for horses located in Arcadia, California.

The Breeder’s Cup is a series of horse races for thoroughbreds that have been held since 1984. The track used for the races changes each year, but it is always located somewhere in North America.

21. Hangout featuring doo-wop music MALT SHOP
Doo-wop developed in the 1940s and can be described as a vocal-based R&B music. Even though the style has been around since the forties, the name doo-wop wasn’t introduced until the early sixties.

23. Doo-wop __ ERA
Doo-wop developed in the 1940s and can be described as a vocal-based R&B music. Even though the style has been around since the forties, the name doo-wop wasn’t introduced until the early sixties.

24. Uganda’s Amin IDI
Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.

28. Horticulturist with a berry named for him RUDOLPH BOYSEN
In the twenties, Walter Knott sold berries, preserves and pies from the side of the road. In 1932, Knott picked up a new berry from Rudolph Boysen’s farm in Anaheim, California, a hybrid of blackberry, raspberry and loganberry. Knott sold the new berries at his stand, giving them the name “Boysenberries”. Boysenberry Pie became a signature dish at a small tea room that Walter Knott’s wife opened up near the location where the family sold fruit. The tea room became so popular, with lines waiting to be served that Knott expanded, adding shops and displays to entertain diners. Over time he built a volcano, a little gold mine, and a ghost town and lots of themed stores. The location just grew and grew, evolving into the huge theme park that it is today called Knott’s Berry Farm.

38. Anklebones TALI
The collection of seven bones in the foot just below the foot are known collectively as the tarsus. One of those bones is the talus (plural “tali”), more commonly called the ankle bone. The talus is the lower part of the ankle joint and articulates with the lower ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower leg.

42. Oscar-nominated Peter Fonda role ULEE
“Ulee’s Gold” is a highly respected film from 1997 in which Peter Fonda plays the title role of Ulee. Ulee’s “gold” is the honey that Ulee produces. It is a favorite role for Peter Fonda and he has shared that playing Ulee brought to mind his father, Henry Fonda, who himself kept a couple of hives. So if you see Peter Fonda in “Ulee’s Gold” you’re witnessing some characteristics that Peter saw in his father.

43. Home that may include a tunnel IGLOO
The Inuit word for “house” is “iglu”, which we usually write as “igloo”. The Greenlandic (yes, that’s a language) word for “house” is very similar: “igdlo”.

47. 2000 Ben Affleck thriller REINDEER GAMES
“Reindeer Games” is a thriller movie released in 2000 starring Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise and Charlize Theron. I haven’t seen it, and I hear it’s not a great film. There a casino heist in the storyline, with the robbers dressed in Santa suits. I think that must be the inspiration for the title.

50. Bill: Abbr. INV
An invoice is an itemized bill. The term comes from the Middle French “envois” meaning “dispatch (of goods)”. The root verb is “envoyer”, which translates as “to send”.

51. Parisian pal AMI
A male friend in France is “un ami”, and a female friend is “une amie”.

52. Peter, Paul and Mary: Abbr. STS
Peter, Paul and Mary are saints (sts.).

60. Bowler’s concern SPLIT
In ten pin bowling, a split takes place when the number-one pin (headpin) is a knocked down with the first ball and two or more non-adjacent pins are left standing. The most difficult split to deal with is the infamous 7-10 split, where just the rear pins at the extreme right and left remain standing.

62. Former student ALUM
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

63. Classic Leroy Anderson holiday tune SLEIGH RIDE
“Sleigh Ride” is a piece of orchestral music written by Leroy Anderson in 1946, paradoxically composed in the middle of a heatwave in July. “Sleigh Ride” was destined to become a signature tune for the Boston Pops after the orchestra recorded the tune under the baton of Arthur Fiedler in 1949.

66. Popular bar game KENO
The name “Keno” has French or Latin roots, with the French “quine” being a term for five winning numbers, and the Latin “quini” meaning “five each”. The game originated in China and was introduced into the West by Chinese immigrants who were working on the first Transcontinental Railroad in the 1800s.

67. Old piano craftsman’s raw material IVORY
The traditional materials used for manufacture of piano keys were ebony and ivory.

69. Fifth Avenue store SAKS
Saks Fifth Avenue is a high-end specialty store that competes with the likes of Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. The original Saks & Company business was founded by Andrew Saks in 1867. The first Saks Fifth Avenue store was opened on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1924. There are now Saks Fifth Avenue stores in many major cities in the US, as well in several locations worldwide.

Down
1. Old hat PASSE
“Passé” is a French word, meaning “past, faded”.

3. Sitcom Arthur better known by his nickname FONZARELLI
Fonzie is a character in the sitcom “Happy Days” that was originally aired from 1974 to 1984. The Fonz (aka Arthur Fonzarelli) was written as a secondary character, but eventually took over the show. Fonzie is of course played by Henry Winkler.

4. Idée source TETE
In French, one’s head (tête) might produce an idea (idée).

9. Aquanaut’s workplace SEALAB
SEALAB I, II and II were man-made habitats built by the US Navy designed to advance the technology needed for humans to live and work underwater for extended periods. SEALAB I was lowered to a depth of just under 200 feet off the coast of Bermuda in 1964. Four divers stayed in SEALAB for 11 days, before the experiment was halted due to the approach of a tropical storm.

An aquanaut (also “oceanaut”) is a diver who spends extended periods in an underwater habitat, without returning to the surface.

11. Biblical captain NOAH
According to the Book of Genesis, Noah lived to a ripe old age. Noah fathered his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth when he was 500 years old, and the Great Flood took place when he was 600.

25. “The bell __ toll for him …”: Donne DOTH
John Donne is one of England’s most celebrated poets, working at the start of the 17th century. He spent much of his life in poverty and even spent a short time in prison for having married his wife without procuring the appropriate permissions. After his release, his wife bore him 12 children in 16 years, passing away a few days after the twelfth child was born.

Devotions upon Emergent Occasions is a work of prose by English poet John Donne, first published in 1624. A couple of famous phrases oft-quoted from the work are “No man is an island” and “for whom the bell tolls”.

26. Stevedore’s gp. ILWU
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) was established in 1937.

34. Duma negative NYET
“Nyet” is Russian for “no”, and “da” is Russian for “yes”.

A Duma is a representative assembly in Russia. The word “dumat” in Russian means “to think, consider”.

40. Solheim Cup co-sponsoring org. LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 lady golfers, and today it is the oldest ongoing women’s sports professional organization in the US.

The Solheim Cup is a golf tournament held every second year in which teams from Europe and the US compete. The Solheim Cup is the female equivalent to the Ryder Cup and is held on alternating years with the male tournament. The tournament is named for Karsten Solheim, a Norwegian-born golf club manufacturer who led the effort to establish the competition. Solheim equipment is sold under the brand name of PING.

41. Junk email SPAM
Apparently the term “SPAM”, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word SPAM, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets of Britain after WWII. So “SPAM” is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

44. Chief Valhalla god ODIN
In Norse mythology, Valhalla (“hall of the slain”) is a gigantic hall in the “world” of Asgard. Asgard and Valhalla are ruled by the god Odin, the chief of the Norse gods.

46. “Witness” sect AMISH
The Amish are a group of Christian churches, a sub-group of the Mennonite churches. The Amish church originated in Switzerland and Alsace in 1693 when it was founded by Jakob Ammann. It was Ammann who gave the name to the Amish people. Many Amish people came to Pennsylvania in the 18th century.

“Witness” is a very engaging Peter Weir film from 1985 starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. It’s all about a Philadelphia detective providing protection for a young Amish boy after he witnesses a murder.

53. Nautical table listing TIDES
Tides of course are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tides, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

54. Arterial implant STENT
In the world of medicine and surgery, a stent is an artificial tube inserted inside a vessel in the body, say an artery, so that it reduces the effects of a local restriction in the body’s conduit.

57. Dejected spell FUNK
“Funk” is ill-humor, a word that dates back to the mid-1700s and is probably a term that came from Scottish and northern English.

58. Big name in cookies AMOS
Wally Amos was a talent agent, one who was in the habit of taking home-baked cookies with him as an enticement to get celebrities to see him. He was urged by friends to open a cookie store (the cookies were that delicious, I guess) and this he did in Los Angeles in 1975 using the name “Famous Amos”. The store was a smash hit and he was able build on the success by introducing his cookies into supermarkets. The brand was eventually bought up making Wally a rich man, and Famous Amos cookies are still flying off the shelf.

59. Flashy sign 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.

61. “West Side Story” knife, e.g. PROP
Leonard Bernstein’s musical “West Side Story” is of course based on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The musical is set in New York City and features two rival gangs: the Sharks from Puerto Rico and the Jets with working-class, Caucasian roots. Tony from the Jets falls in love with Maria from the Sharks. All this parallels Romeo from the House of Montague falling for Juliet from the House of Capulet in the Italian city of Verona.

64. Playwright Levin IRA
As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also was a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels though are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.

65. Training site GYM
Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Dying-out sound PFFT
5. Arafat’s successor ABBAS
10. __ job SNOW
14. Aftershave additive ALOE
15. “Tales of Trail and Town” author HARTE
16. Super A-ONE
17. Breeders’ Cup track SANTA ANITA
19. Paid attendance GATE
20. Soft drink options SIZES
21. Hangout featuring doo-wop music MALT SHOP
23. Doo-wop __ ERA
24. Uganda’s Amin IDI
27. Toll booth waiter CAR
28. Horticulturist with a berry named for him RUDOLPH BOYSEN
35. Part of an act SCENE TWO
37. Sucking-up type TOADY
38. Anklebones TALI
39. Watertight frames HULLS
42. Oscar-nominated Peter Fonda role ULEE
43. Home that may include a tunnel IGLOO
45. Ostensible APPARENT
47. 2000 Ben Affleck thriller REINDEER GAMES
50. Bill: Abbr. INV
51. Parisian pal AMI
52. Peter, Paul and Mary: Abbr. STS
55. Periodically OFF AND ON
60. Bowler’s concern SPLIT
62. Former student ALUM
63. Classic Leroy Anderson holiday tune SLEIGH RIDE
66. Popular bar game KENO
67. Old piano craftsman’s raw material IVORY
68. Word in many golf tournament names OPEN
69. Fifth Avenue store SAKS
70. Midmorning hr. TEN AM
71. Beckoning sound PSST

Down
1. Old hat PASSE
2. Natural ability FLAIR
3. Sitcom Arthur better known by his nickname FONZARELLI
4. Idée source TETE
5. Exclamation when a light goes on? AHA!
6. Prohibit BAN
7. Edge BRIM
8. Staple or glue ATTACH
9. Aquanaut’s workplace SEALAB
10. Drops over time SAGS
11. Biblical captain NOAH
12. Not taken in by ONTO
13. Blubber WEEP
18. In reserve ASIDE
22. Easy pace TROT
25. “The bell __ toll for him …”: Donne DOTH
26. Stevedore’s gp. ILWU
29. Confederacy foe UNION
30. Frigid POLAR
31. “__ kidding!” YOU’RE
32. Christmas shopper’s accumulation SALES SLIPS
33. Paradise EDEN
34. Duma negative NYET
35. Ado STIR
36. Ticket seller’s enclosure CAGE
40. Solheim Cup co-sponsoring org. LPGA
41. Junk email SPAM
44. Chief Valhalla god ODIN
46. “Witness” sect AMISH
48. Throws him out, say ENDS IT
49. Develop slowly EVOLVE
53. Nautical table listing TIDES
54. Arterial implant STENT
55. Flooring trees OAKS
56. Dog bugger FLEA
57. Dejected spell FUNK
58. Big name in cookies AMOS
59. Flashy sign NEON
61. “West Side Story” knife, e.g. PROP
64. Playwright Levin IRA
65. Training site GYM

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