LA Times Crossword Answers 30 Jan 14, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Ed Sessa
THEME: Trojan Horses … today’s themed answers all have a HORSE hidden inside:

20A. Emulate the successful bounty hunter CLAIM A REWARD (hiding “mare”)
29A. “To the best of my memory” AS FAR AS I RECALL (hiding “sire”)
48A. “Shalom aleichem” PEACE BE UPON YOU (hiding “pony”)
55A. Devious traps, and a hint to surprises found in 20-, 29- and 48-Across TROJAN HORSES

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 10m 03s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

6. “Hurlyburly” playwright David RABE
David Rabe is an American playwright, a veteran of Vietnam. He is the author of a Vietnam War Trilogy of plays:

– “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel”
– “Sticks and Bones”
– “Streamers”

“Hurlyburly” is a play by David Rabe that was premiered in 1984. The play’s title comes from a line spoken by one of the witches in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” …

When the hurlyburly’s done
When the battle’s lost and won.

14. __ ballerina PRIMA
The Italian operatic term “prima donna” is used for the lead female singer in an opera company. “Prima donna” translates from Italian as “first lady”. The lead male singer is known as the “primo uomo”. The term “prima donna assoluta” is reserved for a prima donna who is generally accepted as being an outstanding performer. We tend to use “prima donna” for a female performer who has an inflated ego.

15. “Foaming cleanser” of old ads AJAX
Ajax cleanser has been around since 1947, and it’s “stronger than dirt!” That was the most famous slogan over here in the US. On my side of the pond, the infamous slogan was “it cleans like a white tornado”. Bon Ami cleanser has been around much longer. The cleanser was introduced just a few years after Bon Ami soap went to market in 1886.

16. Champagne Tony of ’60s golf LEMA
Tony Lema was a golfer, a native of Oakland, California. In 1962-1966 he had an impressive run of PGA victories, including a famous 1962 win at the Orange County Open. As a joke, he promised that should he win he would serve champagne to the press corps, who quickly gave him the nickname “Champagne Tony”, a name that stuck. In 1966, Lema and his wife were flying in a small, chartered plane to an exhibition tournament in Illinois, when the aircraft ran out of fuel. Ironically, it crashed into a water hazard near the seventh green of a country club in Lansing, Illinois, killing all four people on board. Lema was 32-years-old.

17. Biblical peak SINAI
According to the Bible, Mount Sinai is the mountain on which Moses was given the Ten Commandments. The Biblical Mount Sinai is probably not the mountain in Egypt that today has the same name, although this is the subject of much debate. The Egyptian Mount Sinai has two developed routes that one can take to reach the summit. The longer gentler climb takes about 2 1/2 hours, but there is also the steeper climb up the 3,750 “steps of penitence”.

20. Emulate the successful bounty hunter CLAIM A REWARD (hiding “mare”)
We use “bounty” to mean a reward for capturing or killing a criminal. Back in the early 1700s, a bounty was a gratuity given to a military recruit, and before that, a gift from a sovereign or the state. The term comes into English via French from the Latin “bonitatem” meaning “goodness”.

26. Three NASCAR Unsers ALS
The Unser family seems to have racing cars in its blood. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500 on four occasions. Al’s brother Jerry was the first of the Unsers to compete at Indianapolis. Al’s other brother Bobby, won the Indy three times. Al’s son, Al Junior, won the Indy twice. Al Junior’s son is also a racing driver who competes at the Indy Speedway.

27. Part of D.A.: Abbr. ATT
District Attorney (DA)

28. __ Fáil: Irish “stone of destiny” LIA
The “Lia Fáil” is the coronation stone that is found on the Hill of Tara, the traditional seat of the High Kings of Ireland. “Lia Fáil” translates from Irish as “stone of destiny”.

34. A.L. lineup fixtures DHS
Designated hitters (DHs)

35. Baby powder ingredient TALC
Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” can also be cornstarch.

36. Siesta NAP
We use the word “siesta” to describe a short nap in the early afternoon, taking the word from the Spanish. In turn, the Spanish word is derived from the Latin “hora sexta” meaning “the sixth hour”. The idea is that the nap is taken at “the sixth hour” after dawn.

38. Missal sites PEWS
A pew is a bench in a church, usually with a high back. The original pews were raised and sometimes enclosed seats in the church used by women and important men or families. “Pew” comes from the Old French “puie” meaning “balcony, elevation”.

Missals came into being in medieval times and were used primarily by priests and ministers. A missal is a book containing all the texts necessary for the celebration of Mass through the liturgical year. Nowadays missals are used by the congregation and not just by the celebrants. The term “missal” comes from the Latin for “Mass book”.

48. “Shalom aleichem” PEACE BE UPON YOU (hiding “pony”)
“Shalom aleichem” translates from Hebrew as “peace be upon you”. Sholem Aleichem was also the pen name of Yiddish author Solomon Rabinovich, who wrote the stories about Tevye the Dairyman who inspired the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”.

51. Adolphe who developed a horn SAX
The saxophone was invented by Belgian Adolphe Sax. Sax developed lip cancer at one point in his life, and one has to wonder if his affliction was related to his saxophone playing (I am sure not!). I had the privilege of visiting Sax’s grave in the Cemetery of Montmartre in Paris a few years ago.

52. “Do the Right Thing” director Spike LEE
Shelton Jackson Lee is the real name of Spike Lee, the film director and producer. Lee’s first feature-length film, released in 1986, was “She’s Gotta Have It”. Lee shot the film in just twelve days, and kept the movie within its relatively small budget of only $175,000. “She’s Gotta Have It” grossed over $7 million …

“Do the Right Thing” is a Spike Lee movie, released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called “Sal’s” owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).

53. Intraoffice IT system LAN
LAN (Local Area Network)

54. Attach, as a codicil ADD
A codicil is a document attached to a will that amends the original, rather than replacing it. The term comes from the Latin “coedilcillus” meaning “a short writing”.

55. Devious traps, and a hint to surprises found in 20-, 29- and 48-Across TROJAN HORSES
The story of the Wooden Horse of Troy is told in the Virgil’s poem “The Aeneid”. According to the tale, the city of Troy finally fell to Greeks after a siege that had lasted for ten years. In a ruse, the Greeks sailed away in apparent defeat, leaving behind a large wooden horse. Inside the horse were hidden 30 crack soldiers. When the horse was dragged into the city as a victory trophy, the soldiers sneaked out and opened the city’s gates. The Greeks returned under cover of night and entered the open city.

61. Initial-based political nickname DUBYA
President George W. Bush was nicknamed “Dubya” based on the Texas pronunciation of his middle initial “W”.

66. Govt.-owned home financing gp. GNMA
Ginnie Mae is the familiar nickname for the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), a government-owned corporation created in 1968 with the objective of promoting home ownership. The “Ginnie Mae” nickname is derived from the GNMA acronym.

68. Chest muscles, briefly PECS
“Pecs” is the familiar term for the chest muscle, more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is a the Latin word for “breast, chest”.

69. Early temptation locale EDEN
In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, against the bidding of God. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

Down
1. 12-in. discs LPS
The first vinyl records designed to play at 33 1/3 rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first Long Play (LP) 33 1/3 rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

2. Bush spokesman Fleischer ARI
Ari Fleischer was the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. Fleischer now runs his own media consulting firm that specializes in representing sports players and organizations. Fleischer helped Mark McGwire handle the media when he had to admit to the use of steroids, and was briefly hired by Tiger Woods as he planned his return to the PGA after dropping out of the spotlight to handle the problems in his personal life.

3. Sardine holder TIN
Sardines are oily fish related to herrings. Sardines are also known as pilchards, although in the UK “sardine” is the name for a young pilchard.

4. Colorful Apple IMAC
The iMac is a desktop computer platform from Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated.

8. Cairo market BAZAAR
Our word “bazaar” meaning “market” comes from the Persian “bazar”, meaning the same thing.

11. Store name derived from the prescription symbol REXALL
Rexall was a chain of drugstores in North America which started out in 1902 as a retailers’ cooperative called United Drug Stores. The name “Rexall” was derived from the “Rx” abbreviation used for prescriptions. Rexall used a very interesting marketing concept in 1936. The company sent “The Million Dollar Rexall Streamlined Convention Train” on a tour all over the US. The train had 12 cars which included product displays, convention facilities and a dining car. The idea was to allow local druggists to attend a convention without having the cost of travel, and of course to promote products and the brand.

12. “Bam!” chef EMERIL
Emeril Lagasse is an American chef, born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved notoriety as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

13. Film fish WANDA
I think that the 1988 comedy “A Fish Called Wanda” is very under-appreciated. The film was co-written by and stars John Cleese, and has an exceptional cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Cleese’s friend from “Monty Python”, Michael Palin. The “fish” in the film is the con artist Wanda, played by Curtis.

21. Second half of a ball game? ALAI
Even though jai alai is often said to be the fastest sport in the world because of the speed of the ball, in fact golf balls usually get going at a greater clip.

23. 1984 Olympics parallel bars gold medalist Conner BART
Bart Conner is a US gymnast who won gold in the 1984 Olympic Games. Conner is married to the great Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci.

25. Nonstick cookware brand T-FAL
Tefal (also T-Fal) is a French manufacturer of cookware, famous for its non-stick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau, of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.

30. Seaport of Ghana ACCRA
Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

32. Tree with quivering leaves ASPEN
The “quaking” aspen tree is so called because the structure of the leaves causes them to move easily in the wind, to “tremble, quake”.

37. Mitt Romney’s 2012 running mate PAUL RYAN
Paul Ryan was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 2012 election, on the ticket with Mitt Romney. Off the political stage, Ryan is famous for his fitness regime. He has shared that much of his motivation to work out and to watch his diet is because there is a history of heart attacks at an early age in his family.

39. “The Celts” singer ENYA
Enya’s real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords …

41. Poker game STUD
Stud poker is the name given to many variants of poker, all characterized by the dealer giving each player a mix of cards face-down and face-up. The cards facing downwards are called “hole cards”, cards only visible to the individual who holds that particular hand. This gives rise to the phrase “ace in the hole”, a valuable holding that only the player with the ace is aware of.

43. Bruins’ campus: Abbr. UCLA
The UCLA Bruins mascots are Joe and Josephine Bruin, characters that have evolved over the years. There used to be “mean” Bruin mascots but they weren’t very popular with the fans, so now there are only “happy” Bruin mascots at the games.

48. Prisoner’s reward PAROLE
The term “parole” is a French word that we use in English, with the French “parole” meaning “word, speech”. Of particular interest is the French phrase “parole d’honneur” which translates as “word of honor”. In the early 1600s we started using “parole” to mean a promise by a prisoner of war not to escape, as in the prisoner giving his “word of honor” not to run off. Over time, parole has come to mean conditional release of a prisoner before he or she has served the full term of a sentence.

49. Strikingly unusual EXOTIC
The word “exotic” means “belonging to another country”, and is derived from the Greek “exo-” meaning “outside”. Exotica are things that are excitingly strange, often from foreign parts.

56. New York team JETS
Just like the New York Giants, the New York Jets are based in New Jersey, headquartered in Florham Park. The Jets and the Giants have a unique arrangement in the NFL in that the two teams share Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets were an AFL charter team, formed in 1959 as the Titans of New York. The Titans changed their name to the Jets in 1963.

58. Bout of beefy battlers SUMO
Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

62. ER vitals BPS
One’s blood pressure (BP) might be taken in the emergency room (ER).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Like many abbreviated terms in footnotes LATIN
6. “Hurlyburly” playwright David RABE
10. Beer BREW
14. __ ballerina PRIMA
15. “Foaming cleanser” of old ads AJAX
16. Champagne Tony of ’60s golf LEMA
17. Biblical peak SINAI
18. Confused state DAZE
19. Plodding haulers OXEN
20. Emulate the successful bounty hunter CLAIM A REWARD (hiding “mare”)
23. Halloween creature BAT
26. Three NASCAR Unsers ALS
27. Part of D.A.: Abbr. ATT
28. __ Fáil: Irish “stone of destiny” LIA
29. “To the best of my memory” AS FAR AS I RECALL (hiding “sire”)
33. Chem lab event REACTION
34. A.L. lineup fixtures DHS
35. Baby powder ingredient TALC
36. Siesta NAP
38. Missal sites PEWS
42. Grind RUT
45. Start of a green adage WASTE NOT
48. “Shalom aleichem” PEACE BE UPON YOU (hiding “pony”)
51. Adolphe who developed a horn SAX
52. “Do the Right Thing” director Spike LEE
53. Intraoffice IT system LAN
54. Attach, as a codicil ADD
55. Devious traps, and a hint to surprises found in 20-, 29- and 48-Across TROJAN HORSES
59. Mechanical method ROTE
60. Open and breezy AIRY
61. Initial-based political nickname DUBYA
65. Touched ground ALIT
66. Govt.-owned home financing gp. GNMA
67. Made calls at home UMPED
68. Chest muscles, briefly PECS
69. Early temptation locale EDEN
70. Mails POSTS

Down
1. 12-in. discs LPS
2. Bush spokesman Fleischer ARI
3. Sardine holder TIN
4. Colorful Apple IMAC
5. Finger painting? NAIL ART
6. Hilton rival RADISSON
7. In __: stuck A JAM
8. Cairo market BAZAAR
9. Pushed (oneself) EXERTED
10. Explode BLOW
11. Store name derived from the prescription symbol REXALL
12. “Bam!” chef EMERIL
13. Film fish WANDA
21. Second half of a ball game? ALAI
22. Cut with acid ETCH
23. 1984 Olympics parallel bars gold medalist Conner BART
24. Out of port ASEA
25. Nonstick cookware brand T-FAL
30. Seaport of Ghana ACCRA
31. Bowled over IN AWE
32. Tree with quivering leaves ASPEN
37. Mitt Romney’s 2012 running mate PAUL RYAN
39. “The Celts” singer ENYA
40. Stacked fuel WOOD
41. Poker game STUD
43. Bruins’ campus: Abbr. UCLA
44. Like most new drivers TEENAGE
46. Hot springs resorts SPAS
47. Strengthened TONED UP
48. Prisoner’s reward PAROLE
49. Strikingly unusual EXOTIC
50. Trailing BEHIND
51. Purse part STRAP
56. New York team JETS
57. “Him __”: romantic triangle ultimatum OR ME
58. Bout of beefy battlers SUMO
62. ER vitals BPS
63. “However …” YET
64. Product promos ADS

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