LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Jan 14, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Kurt Krauss
THEME: Breaks Free … each of today’s themed answers BREAKS the word FREE i.e. is made by inserting a series of letters into the letter-string FREE:

17A. *Genealogist’s tool F(AMILY T)REE
24A. *”Top Hat” leading man FRE(D ASTAIR)E
34A. *Stewed chicken dish FR(ICASS)EE
50A. *Most serious or least serious F(IRST DEG)REE

58A. Escapes, and, literally, what each of the answers to starred clues does BREAKS FREE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 06m 58s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Big cat of Narnia ASLAN
In the C. S. Lewis series of books “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan is the name of the lion character (as in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). “Aslan” is actually the Turkish word for lion. Anyone who has read the books will recognize the the remarkable similarity between the story of Aslan and the story of Christ, including a sacrifice and resurrection.

14. Pope after John X LEO VI
Pope Leo VI was in office for just 9 months, spanning the years 928 and 929. Leo VI apparently wasn’t his own man, and fell under the control of a wealthy Roman noblewoman called Marozia. Marozia had allegedly been the mistress of Pope Sergius III, had ordered the imprisonment and death of Pope John X, and made Leo VI head of the Roman Catholic church.

16. Iowa State’s city AMES
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) is located in Ames, Iowa. Among many other notable events, ISU created the country’s first school of veterinary medicine, in 1879. The sports teams od ISU are known as the Cyclones.

20. Priestly robes ALBS
The alb is the white, neck-to-toe vestment worn by priests, usually with a rope cord around the waist. The term alb comes from “albus”, the Latin word for “white”.

21. Suffix with Capri -OTE
A Capriote is a native of the Isle of Capri.

The island 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.

23. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone 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”.

24. *”Top Hat” leading man FRED ASTAIRE
The actor and dancer Fred Astaire’s real name was Frederick Austerlitz. Fred was from Omaha, Nebraska and before he made it big in movies, he was one half of a celebrated music hall act with his sister Adele. The pair were particularly successful in the UK. Adele ended up marrying into nobility in England, taking the name Lady Charles Cavendish.

“Top Hat” is a fun comedy musical starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It is the most successful movie that the Astaire-Rogers team made.

29. British throne? LOO
It has been suggested that the British term “loo”, meaning “toilet, water-closet) comes from Waterloo (water-closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo” in which the pot was called the loo!

30. Churchillian sign VEE
One has to be careful making that V-sign depending where you are in the world. Where I came from, the V for victory (or peace) sign has to be made with the palm facing outwards. If the sign is made with the palm facing inwards, it’s a very obscene gesture.

Soon after Winston Churchill took over as Prime Minister of the UK in 1940, he delivered some stirring speeches that rallied the country in the face of German victories right across Europe. The first of these was his “Blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech as he reported the formation of a new coalition government designed to unite the country in time of war. The second was his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech, as he reported the successful evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk. The third speech concluded with, “This was their finest hour”, words delivered to Parliament just as France fell, and Churchill pledged that the British Commonwealth would fight on, alone if necessary. The last lines of this third speech, from this magnificent orator, were:

… But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour’.

34. *Stewed chicken dish FRICASSEE
A “fricassée” is a dish containing meat that has been cut up, sautéed and braised, and then served in a white sauce. The French term fricassée is thought perhaps to be a combination of the the verbs “frire” (to fry) and “casser” (to break into pieces).

38. First Greek consonant BETA
The Greek alphabet starts off with the letters alpha, beta, gamma …

42. Petting zoo critter LLAMA
The wool from a llama is much softer than that from a sheep, and it is also free from lanolin.

46. Pulitzer poet Lowell AMY
Amy Lowell was an American poet, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926 for the collection of her poems called “What’s O’Clock”.

53. Former telecom co. MCI
MCI was a giant telecom company that suffered a similar fate to Enron, and around about the same time. MCI’s stock price fell in 2000 and in maneuvers designed to protect the price, the company committed illegal acts. The larger-than-life CEO back then, Bernie Ebbers, is now serving a 25-year sentence in Louisiana.

54. Toga party hosts FRATS
Fraternity houses are notorious for hosting toga parties.

57. “Lois & Clark” reporter LANE
Lois Lane has been the love interest of Superman/Clark Kent since the comic series was first published in 1938. Lois and Clark both work for the big newspaper in the city of Metropolis called “The Daily Planet”. The couple finally got hitched in the comics (and on television’s “Lois and Clark”) in 1996. But never mind all that … one has to wonder how good the crossword is in “The Daily Planet” …

61. Blues singer James ETTA
Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song “At Last”. Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.

63. Catorce ÷ dos SIETE
In Spanish, fourteen (catorce) divided by two (dos) is seven (siete).

65. Billy of “Titanic” ZANE
Billy Zane is an actor from Chicago, Illinois. One of Zane’s most prominent roles was the title character in the 1996 superhero film called “The Phantom”. He also played the somewhat creepy bad guy in the 1989 thriller movie called “Dead Calm”.

When James Cameron made his epic movie “Titanic”, released in 1997, it was the most expensive film ever made, costing about $200 million. It was a good investment for the studio as it became the highest-grossing film of all time, bringing in over $1.8 billion. “Titanic” remained the highest-grossing film until 2010, when Cameron eclipsed the prior record with “Avatar”.

Down
1. “Our Gang” kid with a cowlick ALFALFA
Alfalfa was one Hollywood’s “Little Rascals”, also known as “Our Gang”. Alfalfa’s real name was Carl Switzer. He and his brother were quite the young performers around his hometown in Illinois, singing and playing instruments. On a trip to California, the Switzer family were touring the Hal Roach movie studio and were fooling around in the studio cafeteria, basically giving an impromptu performance. Hal Roach happened to be there at the time, and signed both brothers up for roles in “Our Gang”. Carl was to play “Alfalfa”, and brother Harold played “Slim” (aka “Deadpan”).

3. Gable’s third wife LOMBARD
Carole Lombard was the highest paid Hollywood actress in the 1930s, and was famous for playing the female lead in screwball comedies that were popular at the time. Lombard married fellow actor Clark Gable in 1939. Tragically, Lombard was killed in a plane crash in 1942, when she was only 33 years old. Even though Gable married twice more, he chose to be interred beside Lombard when he died in 1960.

4. Thrifty alternative AVIS
Avis has been around since 1946, and is the second largest car rental agency after Hertz. Avis has the distinction of being the first car rental company to locate a branch at an airport.

Thrifty Car Rental was founded back in 1958. Thrifty became part of Chrysler in 1989 and was merged by Chrysler with Dollar Rent A Car the following year.

5. Zilch NIL
We use the term “zilch” to mean “nothing”. Our current usage evolved in the sixties, before which the term was used to describe “meaningless speech”. There was a comic character called Mr. Zilch in the 1930s in “Ballyhoo” magazine. Mr. Zilch’s name probably came from the American college slang “Joe Zilch” that was used in the early 1900s for “an insignificant person”.

6. Parlor piece SETTEE
“Settee” is another word for a couch. The term come from the Old English “setl”, which was a long bench with a high back and arms.

9. Peruvian capital? PEE
P (pee) is the capital letter in the word “Peruvian”.

10. __ cum laude MAGNA
When an academic degree is awarded, a level of distinction can be noted depending on the degree of success achieved by the student. There are three types of honor, each with a Latin name:
– cum laude: meaning “with honor” (literally “with praise”)
– magna cum laude: meaning “with great honor”
– summa cum laude: meaning “with highest honor”

13. Springsteen’s __ Band E STREET
The E Street Band is the backing group for Bruce Springsteen. The band came together in 1972 but didn’t take a formal name until two years later. The keyboard player in the original line up was David Sancious, and his mother allowed the group to rehearse at her home. That home was on E Street in Belmar, New Jersey, and that’s where the band got their name.

18. N.Y.C. part YORK
New York City (NYC)

The city of New Amsterdam was taken over by the English from the Dutch in 1664. the city was promptly renamed to “New York” in honor of the Duke of York, who was destined to become King James II of England.

22. DDE’s WWII arena ETO
General Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) was in command of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during WWII.

24. Klinger portrayer on “M*A*S*H” FARR
Actor Jamie Farr is best known for playing the cross-dressing Max Klinger in the sitcom ”M*A*S*H”. Although Farr landed a role in the 1955 movie “Blackboard Jungle”, his career didn’t really take off until he started appearing regularly on “The Red Skelton Show”. Years later he managed to get a one-episode appearance in ”M*A*S*H”, and his character and performance was received so well that he became a regular on the show. Farr actually did serve in the US Army in Korea, although it was after hostilities had ended. The dog tags that Farr wore when filming ”M*A*S*H” were the one’s he actually wore while serving in the military.

Jamie Farr played the cross-dressing Corporal Max Klinger on the TV version of “M*A*S*H”. His character was always trying to get out of Korea, usually by looking for certification as someone mentally incompetent. There was a deliberately ironic twist in the final episode that aired, as Klinger was the only character to voluntarily stay on in Korea (he had married a local woman).

26. Porcine moms SOWS
“Porcine” means “of a pig”, coming into English via French from the Latin “porcus” meaning “pig”.

28. Cushioned seat SOFA
“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.

32. Fla. NFL team, on scoreboards JAX
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been in the NFL since 1995.

35. Abbr. referring to a previous citation IBID
Ibid. is short for the Latin word “ibidem” and is typically found in footnotes and bibliographies. Ibid. is used to refer the reader to the prior citation, instead of giving the same information all over again (title, author etc.).

39. Kuwait or Qatar EMIRATE
The State of Kuwait sits at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, famously sharing a border to the north with Iraq. After WWI, Kuwait was a Protectorate within the British Empire and then gained independence from the UK in 1961. Iraq annexed Kuwait in 1990, which led to the Gulf War of 1990-1991.

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.

43. Like a Brink’s truck ARMORED
The Brink’s security company was founded in 1859 in Chicago, by Perry Brink. Brink’s started out as an armored transportation service.

44. Jungle explorer’s tool MACHETE
A machete is a large knife, usually 13-18 inches long. The term “machete” is the diminutive of “macho” meaning “male, strong”.

45. Ouzo flavoring ANISEED
Ouzo is an aperitif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to pastis from France and also has a flavor like sambuca from Italy.

47. Capt.’s underlings LTS
“Lieutenant” can describe a military rank and also a person who acts in place of another. The term comes from the Old French “lieu tenant”, which translates as “placeholder”.

48. Game venue ARCADE
Our word “arcade” comes from the Latin “arcus” meaning “arc”. The first arcades were passages made from a series of arches. This could be an avenue of trees, and eventually any covered avenue. I remember arcades lined with shops and stores when I was growing up on the other side of the Atlantic. Arcades came to be lined with lots of amusements, resulting in amusement arcades and video game arcades.

51. Porterhouse, e.g. STEAK
The T-bone and porterhouse are related cuts of meat, with the latter being a larger version of the former.

56. “The Wizard __” OF ID
“The Wizard of Id” is one of my favorite comic strips. The strip was created by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart back in 1964, and it still runs today. The storyline centers on a wizard in the medieval kingdom of Id. The king of Id refers to his subjects as “Idiots”.

58. Line of work, for short BIZ
Business (biz)

59. Nutritionist’s abbr. RDA
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

60. Fed. retirement org. SSA
The Social Security Administration (SSA) was of course set up as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The first person to receive a monthly retirement benefit was Ida May Fuller of Vermont who received her first check for the sum of $22.54 after having contributed for three years through payroll taxes. The New Deal turned out to be a good deal for Ms. Fuller, as she lived to 100 years of age and received a total benefit of almost $23,000, whereas her three years of contributions added up to just $24.75.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Big cat of Narnia ASLAN
6. Salad alternative SOUP
10. No more than MERE
14. Pope after John X LEO VI
15. Facility EASE
16. Iowa State’s city AMES
17. *Genealogist’s tool FAMILY TREE
19. Political syst. GOVT
20. Priestly robes ALBS
21. Suffix with Capri -OTE
22. Door sign ENTER
23. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone LIA
24. *”Top Hat” leading man FRED ASTAIRE
27. Abandon FORSAKE
29. British throne? LOO
30. Churchillian sign VEE
31. Compound conjunction AND/OR
32. Uppercut target JAW
33. Take a break REST
34. *Stewed chicken dish FRICASSEE
38. First Greek consonant BETA
41. Go a few rounds BOX
42. Petting zoo critter LLAMA
46. Pulitzer poet Lowell AMY
47. Gloss target LIP
48. Concession speech deliverer ALSO-RAN
50. *Most serious or least serious FIRST DEGREE
53. Former telecom co. MCI
54. Toga party hosts FRATS
55. HDTV brand RCA
56. Amazed sounds OOHS
57. “Lois & Clark” reporter LANE
58. Escapes, and, literally, what each of the answers to starred clues does BREAKS FREE
61. Blues singer James ETTA
62. Carded at a club IDED
63. Catorce ÷ dos SIETE
64. Work station DESK
65. Billy of “Titanic” ZANE
66. Extra ADDED

Down
1. “Our Gang” kid with a cowlick ALFALFA
2. Circus barker SEA LION
3. Gable’s third wife LOMBARD
4. Thrifty alternative AVIS
5. Zilch NIL
6. Parlor piece SETTEE
7. Propelled, as a galley OARED
8. Capitalize on USE
9. Peruvian capital? PEE
10. __ cum laude MAGNA
11. Eliciting feeling EMOTIVE
12. Really looks up to REVERES
13. Springsteen’s __ Band E STREET
18. N.Y.C. part YORK
22. DDE’s WWII arena ETO
24. Klinger portrayer on “M*A*S*H” FARR
25. “Ah, me!” ALAS!
26. Porcine moms SOWS
28. Cushioned seat SOFA
32. Fla. NFL team, on scoreboards JAX
33. Move for the job, briefly RELO
35. Abbr. referring to a previous citation IBID
36. Make do COPE
37. “What __ can I say?” ELSE
38. Bewildered BAFFLED
39. Kuwait or Qatar EMIRATE
40. Ruthless rulers TYRANTS
43. Like a Brink’s truck ARMORED
44. Jungle explorer’s tool MACHETE
45. Ouzo flavoring ANISEED
47. Capt.’s underlings LTS
48. Game venue ARCADE
49. Pipe problem LEAK
51. Porterhouse, e.g. STEAK
52. Putting spot GREEN
56. “The Wizard __” OF ID
58. Line of work, for short BIZ
59. Nutritionist’s abbr. RDA
60. Fed. retirement org. SSA

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5 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Jan 14, Wednesday”

  1. Hello Bill, and friends,

    Today I take a big trip of a thousand leagues which starts with a single step …. Meanwhile the Dulles airport in DC. Is totally flooded with ice, and snow, and I wonder if the planes will be flying at all…

    The puzzle was very interesting, and relatively easy. I loved reading your blog, and that a TBone is a big brother to the porterhouse ….. I must try one of each, sometime. I didn't get the theme, but no problem.

    I wonder if settee comes from an Indian word, sethi, which is a cushion or mattress. One who sits on it, while conducting business, is a sethi or Seth, or sethia , ( variations-). … Generally a banker, a moneylender or a businessman. Thus it also becomes a name or a caste. Just wonderIng.

    Have a safe and happy week.

  2. Hi Bill and Have a safe trip Vidwan!
    Some words I don't usually see in crosswords, but pretty straight-forward cluing so that it went smoothly.
    OF oz got me, until I remembered ID.
    Took a long time to see ALSORAN.
    SEA LION as well.
    I liked this puzzle and thought the down fills were fresh.
    Have a great rest of the day!

  3. All these years solving crosswords I believe this is the first time I have seen Aniseed..It was always Anise

    Ouzo..Of course! Sambuca , with a coffee bean, that was dinner in my youth.

    Stay warm all in the freeze zone!

  4. Addict, Sambuca got me through unloading a moving truck in really cold weather once upon a time. 😉
    I was lifting boxes and chuggin' right along.
    Good thing the bed was the first thing to get off the truck and it was all ready at the end of unloading. The things we remember!!!

  5. @Vidwan
    I hope that your trip goes well, and that you managed to get off reasonably easily despite the terrible weather. Thanks for pointing out the possible link between "sethi" and "settee". I just looked online for a refernce that confirms your suspicion, but I could find none. It seems to make sense, though, doesn't it?

    @Pookie
    I will always go for the Wizard of Id over the Wizard of Oz. That movie still scares me (flying monkeys). My wife had to go see the stage musical with a friend because I refused to join her!

    @Addict
    I read somewhere that one should float three coffee beans on a shot of Sambuca. I also read that traditionally the beans represent husband, wife and mistress!

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