LA Times Crossword Answers 5 Jan 14, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Joel D. Lafargue
THEME: Name Game … each of today’s themed answers starts with a type of NAME:

24A. 1983 novel partly set in a graveyard PET SEMATARY (giving “pet name”)
45A. Classic detective played by William Powell NICK CHARLES (giving “nickname”)
54A. Bibliophile’s prize FIRST EDITION (giving “first name”)
75A. Simple to operate USER-FRIENDLY (giving “user name”)
86A. Office staple FILE CABINET (giving “filename”)
107A. Any top-25 NFL career scoring leader PLACEKICKER (giving “place name”)
38D. Cheating deterrent CODE OF HONOR (giving “code name”)
41D. A 36-Across may be one TRADE SECRET (giving “trade name”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 29m 49s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … DAZES (fazes!), DUROC (Furoc)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Pacific island nation FIJI
The island nation of Fiji is an archipelago in the South Pacific made up of over 330 islands, 110 of which are inhabited. Fiji was occupied by the British for over a century and finally gained its independence in 1970.

5. Eastern teachers LAMAS
“Lama” is a Tibetan word, meaning “chief” or “high priest”.

19. Quaint plaint EGAD
“Egad!” developed as a polite way of saying “oh God!” in the late 1600s and is an expression of fear or surprise somewhat like “good grief!”.

A “plaint” is an expression of sorrow, or a “complaint”.

20. Man with memorable thumbs EBERT
Roger Ebert was a film critic for “The Chicago Sun-Times” for 50 years. He also co-hosted a succession of film review television programs for over 23 years, most famously with Gene Siskel until Siskel passed away in 1999. Siskel and Ebert famously gave their thumbs up or thumbs down to the movies they reviewed. Ebert was the first film to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, which he did in 1975. He was diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer in 2002, and finally succumbed to a recurrence of the disease in April 2013.

24. 1983 novel partly set in a graveyard PET SEMATARY (giving “pet name”)
“Pet Sematary” is a horror novel by Stephen King, first published in 1983. King was inspired to write the story after his experiences in a rented house on a busy road. Lots of animals were killed on the road so local children created a pet cemetery in a nearby field.

27. Arboreal rodents TREE RATS
The term “tree rat” applies to a large number of rodents, including squirrels.

30. Tap SPIGOT
Back in the 15th century, a spigot was specifically a plug to stop a hole in a cask. Somewhere along the way, a spigot had a valve added for variable control of flow.

33. Cannes conclusion FINIS
“Finis” is “the end, the finish” imported into English from French, as “finis” the French word for … “the end”.

Cannes is a city on the French Riviera, noted as host of the Cannes Film Festival. The idea of the annual film festival was adopted by the city just before WWII. However, the festival had to wait for the end of the war for its launch in 1946.

35. Baffled “Jeopardy!” contestant’s effort STAB
“Jeopardy” first went on the air in 1964, and is another successful Merv Griffin creation. But it took the introduction of Alex Trebek as host in order to bring the show into the big times. Trebek has been host since 1984.

39. Salon treatments MANIS
Manicure (“mani”)

40. Frankie Valli singing style FALSETTO
Frankie Valli is a great singer, best known for fronting the Four Seasons in the sixties. Valli had an incredible number of hits, with and without the Four Seasons. The extensive list includes, “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man”, “Rag Doll”, “My Eyes Adored You” and “Grease”.

45. Classic detective played by William Powell NICK CHARLES (giving “nickname”)
High on the list of my favorite movies of all time is “The Thin Man” series starring William Powell and the incredibly attractive Myrna Loy. Powell and Loy played the characters Nick and Nora Charles.

48. Sourdough’s strike LODE
“Sourdough” was a nickname given to early settlers or prospectors, especially in Alaska. The name was a reference to the use of pieces of sourdough to leaven bread during the cold winters.

50. Ohio pro CAV
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1970.

53. Non-metallic rocks ICE
As in “scotch on the rocks” …

58. “Spamalot” co-creator IDLE
Eric Idle was one of the founding members of the Monty Python team. Idle was very much the musician of the bunch, and is an accomplished guitarist. If you’ve seen the Monty Python film “The Life of Brian”, you might remember the closing number, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. It was sung by Idle, and was indeed written by him. That song made it to number 3 in the UK charts in 1991.

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was released as a movie in 1975, and was a great success. Some thirty years later the film’s storyline was used as inspiration for the hit musical “Spamalot”. I saw “Spamalot” recently and wasn’t that impressed. But, mine was very much a minority opinion …

59. 2000 film set in a confectionery CHOCOLAT
“Chocolat” is big screen adaption of the novel of the same name by Joanne Harris. “Chocolat” tells the story of a young mother with a six-year-old daughter who opens up a chocolate shop in a French village. The mother is played by the lovely Juliette Binoche.

64. Cold, in Calais FROID
Calais is a major ferry port in northern France that overlooks the Strait of Dover, which is the narrowest point in the English Channel. The strait is just over 20 miles wide, making Calais the nearest French town to England.

67. DeMille specialties EPICS
Cecil B. Demille was a movie director and producer who started his professional career in the silent era. DeMille’s movies were often epic works, such “Cleopatra” (1936), “Samson and Delilah” (1949), “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) and “The Ten Commandments” (1956). The Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award is named in his honor, and indeed he was its first recipient.

70. Secret rival? SURE
Sure is a brandname of deodorant in the British Isles. The same product is marketed in North America as Degree.

Secret is an antiperspirant/deodorant made by Proctor & Gamble, first introduced in 1956 as a cream that was applied with the fingers (ick!). There followed a roll-on version in 1958, a spray in 1964 and the solid stick in 1978.

71. Greatly disliked thing ANATHEMA
Anathema or bane is a source of persistent annoyance. Anathema is the Latin word for an excommunicated person. Note that “anathema” does not take an article, so we say “he is anathema” rather than “he is an anathema”.

74. Engage in braggadocio CROW
A braggadocio is one who brags. The term was coined by poet Edmund Spenser in his epic poem “The Faerie Queen”. One of the characters in the poem is a comic knight who is prone to bragging, someone Spenser names “Braggadocchio”.

79. Rip off COP
“To cop” is “to steal”, from the Latin “capere” meaning “to take”.

80. Salon dye HENNA
Henna has been used for centuries as a dye, not just for leather and wool, but also for the hair and skin. In modern days, henna is also used for temporary tattoos.

85. That, in Toledo ESO
Toledo is a city in central Spain.

90. French peninsular city BREST
Brest is a port city in northwest France, and is the second largest military port in the country. Brest was an important base for German U-boats during WWII when France was occupied by the Nazis. Brest is the most westerly city in the whole country.

96. Muffet fare CURDS
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey, in the popular nursery rhyme. A tuffet is a low seat or a footstool, another word for a pouffe or a hassock. When milk curdles it separates into two parts, the solid curds and the liquid whey.

98. Joe or java COFFEE
It seems that no one really knows why we refer to coffee as “joe”, but we’ve been doing so since early in WWII.

Back in 1850, the name “java” was given to a type of coffee grown on the island of Java, and the usage of the term spread from there.

102. He played Arnold Vinick on “The West Wing” ALAN ALDA
Alan Alda had a great television career, especially of course on “M*A*S*H”. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He won his most recent Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

106. Diva’s moment ARIA
“Diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. “Diva” is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.

111. Transmission speed unit BAUD
In telecommunications, the “baud” unit represents pulses per second. The higher the baud rate of a modem, the faster information can be transferred. The baud unit is named for Émile Baudot, a pioneer in the world of telecommunications.

112. Salon treatment PEDI
Pedicure (“pedi”)

115. Gospel writer LUKE
The Gospel of Luke is the third book of the New Testament. It is believed that the author of the Gospel of Luke was the same person who wrote “Acts of the Apostles”, the fifth book of the New Testament.

119. Fall 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
2. “M*A*S*H” mess server IGOR
The character called Private Igor Straminsky usually served food in the mess tent in the television series “M*A*S*H”. Igor was played by actor Jeff Maxwell. Maxwell actually published a cookbook in 1997, called “The Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess: The Lost Recipes of Private Igor”.

3. Boy’s mother JANE
Jane Porter is the love interest in the “Tarzan” series of novels penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Famously, Jane was played by Maureen O’Sullivan on the big screen, opposite Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. However, in the movies Jane’s family name was changed from Porter to Parker. Also, Porter is an American in the books, and Parker is an Englishwoman in the films. Tarzan and Jane adopted an orphan who they called “Boy”.

4. Parisian obsession IDEE FIXE
An “idée fixe” (a French term) is basically a fixed idea, an obsession.

5. Classic French firearms company LE PAGE
Fauré Le Page is a manufacturer of a firearms that was founded way back in 1717. Famously, Le Page supplied arms to the protesters during the French Revolution.

6. Does lookout duty for, say ABETS
The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.

7. Subway Series team METS
The term “Subway Series” has been used to describe World Series baseball games when both participating teams are based in New York.

The New York Mets baseball team was founded in 1962, a replacement for two teams that the city had lost, namely the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. For several years the Mets played very poorly, finishing no better than second-to-last in their division. Then of course along came the “Miracle Mets” who beat the Baltimore Orioles in 1969 to claim the World Series in a huge upset.

8. MGM motto word ARS
It seems that the phrase “art for art’s sake” has its origins in France in the nineteenth century, where the slogan is expressed as “l’art pour l’art”. The Latin version “Ars gratia artis” came much later, in 1924 when MGM’s publicist chose it for the studio’s logo, sitting under Leo the lion. Who’d a thunk it?

9. Multi-office rental: Abbr. STE
Suite (ste.)

10. __ rice SPANISH
Spanish rice is a side dish that is usually called “Mexican rice” in the American Southwest. Spanish rice is made by sautéing the rice to brown it, then adding chicken broth, chopped tomatoes and other ingredients.

11. Staff figures NOTES
Notes are written on a musical staff or stave.

14. Mrs. Blake Carrington on “Dynasty” KRYSTLE
On the TV show “Dynasty”, the character of Krystle Carrington was played by Linda Evans.

“Dynasty” was ABC’s shot at CBS’s incredibly successful soap opera “Dallas”. Both shows were centered on wealthy oil families, with “Dynasty” starring John Forsythe and Linda Evans in the lead roles. The show didn’t really make much impact on the viewing figures for “Dallas” until season two, when Joan Collins joined the cast as the scheming ex-wife Alexis. “Dynasty” had a very successful run then, from 1981 to 1989.

16. Henning of magic DOUG
Doug Henning was a Canadian magician, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the seventies he made a whole series of annually broadcast specials for NBC called “Doug Henning’s World of Magic”.

17. “Deal __ Deal” OR NO
The TV game show that is called “Deal or No Deal” in the US is shown all around the world in local versions. The original version of the show was developed in the Netherlands as “Miljoenenjacht” (Hunt for Millions).

28. Like challah dough ROPY
Challah is a special braided bread that is eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath. The bread is served to commemorate the manna that fell from the heavens as the Israelites wandered around the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.

31. No longer in PASSE
“Passé” is a French word, meaning “past, faded”.

34. Trimming tape INKLE
An “inkle” is a colored linen tape that is used as trim on clothing.

35. Cannon barrage SALVO
A salvo is a simultaneous discharge of guns. Ironically, “salvo” comes from the Latin “salve” meaning “be in good health”. Salvo was originally the name given to the firing of guns in the air as a sign of respect or greeting for an important visitor. Good health!

42. Call before the game? TAILS
The two sides of a coin are known as the “obverse” and the “reverse”. The obverse is commonly referred to as “heads”, as it often depicts someone’s head. The reverse is commonly called “tails”, as it is the opposite “heads”.

45. Org. headquartered near Colorado’s Cheyenne Mountain NORAD
The North American Defense Command (NORAD) isn’t just a US operation but is a cooperative arrangement between Canada and the United States. The two countries entered into an agreement to establish NORAD in 1958, mainly due to the concern that there would be little or no warning of a missile attack from the Soviet Union that came over the North Pole.

Cheyenne Mountain is a massive nuclear bunker located near Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The facility included about 5 acres of underground buildings that actually stand free of the surrounding rock, supported by steel springs to aid in survival of a nuclear blast.

49. Surroundings MILIEU
We use the French word “milieu” to mean an environment, surroundings. In French, “milieu” is the word for “middle”.

52. Author Albom MITCH
Mitch Albom is an author and journalist, most famous for his 1997 book “Tuesdays with Morrie”.

“Tuesday’s with Morrie” is a novel by Mitch Albom, first published in 1997. The story is a work of non-fiction, telling the tale of sociologist Morrie Schwartz and his students, one of whom is the author Mitch Albom. Albom has frequent visits with his old professor when he discovers that Morrie is dying from ALS.

56. High dudgeon IRE
“Dudgeon” is a noun describing a state of sullen, ill humor.

57. Flamethrower compound NAPALM
Napalm is a incendiary compound used in weapons that is made from petroleum mixed with a thickening agent. Napalm was developed in a secret program at Harvard during WWII. It was initially used in incendiary bombs and in flamethrowers. The thickening agent in napalm causes the burning material to stick to skin causing severe burns. Because of this, the UN declared the use of napalm in civilian areas a war crime in 1980.

60. Broken nursery rhyme item CROWN
The “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme dates back at least to the 1700s:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

65. Red pig DUROC
A Duroc is a breed of domestic pig, red in color and with a large frame, and a tendency to be quite aggressive. The breed originated in New England and supposedly takes its name from a thoroughbred stallion that was famous around 1800.

66. Bit of setter speech ARF
The breeds of dog known as setters are all gundogs, and are used in hunting game.

69. Grab forcefully WREST
The verb “to wrest” can mean to obtain by violent twisting and pulling. The word “wrest” derives from the Middle English “wresten” meaning “to twist”. Our word “wrestling” has the same etymology.

70. “Like a Rock” singer SEGER
Bob Seger struggled as a performing artist right through the sixties and early seventies before becoming a commercial success in 1976 with the release of his album “Night Moves”. Since then, Seger has recorded songs that have become classics like, “We’ve Got Tonight” and “Old Time Rock & Roll”.

71. Frank and Rice ANNES
Anne Frank has to be one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust. This is largely because the story of this young girl lives on in her widely published diary, and in adaptations of the diary for stage and screen. Anne Frank was a German until she lost her nationality in 1941 when the Nazis came to power. By this time she was living with her family in Amsterdam, as the Franks chose to flee Germany in 1933. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, the family went into hiding in the attic of Otto Frank’s office building (Otto was Anne’s father). There the family hid for two whole years until they were betrayed. The family was split up, and Anne and her sister died from typhus in a concentration camp in 1945.

Anne Rice is an American author of erotic and Gothic novels. She was born Howard Allen O’Brien (no wonder she changed her name!). Her famous series of novels “The Vampire Chronicles” centers on her character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman who was turned into a vampire in the 18th century. One of the stories, “Interview with the Vampire”, was adapted for the big screen in 1994 and features Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and others in a star-studded cast. Not my kind of movie though, as I don’t do vampires …

72. Seuss’ Thidwick, e.g. MOOSE
Dr. Seuss was the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel. Geisel was commander of the Animation Department of the USAF during WWII. He was behind many propaganda films including one called “Our Job in Japan”. This propaganda film was used after the war as a basis for the short feature “Design for Death”, a study of Japanese culture released in 1947, and winner of an Oscar for best Documentary.

78. Some, in Stuttgart EINES
Stuttgart is the sixth-largest city in Germany, and is located in southern Germany. The city is sometimes called “the cradle of the automobile” as Karl Benz made his first cars and motorcycles there, as were the first VW Beetle prototypes. Mercedes-Benz and Porsche cars are still manufactured in Stuttgart and the surrounding area.

89. Israeli prime minister before Sharon BARAK
Ehud Barak served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. Barak left office after he called a special election for Prime Minister and lost the vote to Ariel Sharon. Barak resigned from the Knesset and took an advisory job with the US company Electronic Data Systems (EDS), and did some security-related work with a private equity company. In 2007, Barak took over leadership of Israel’s Labor Party and is now the country’s Minister of Defense.

Ariel Sharon is a former Prime Minister of Israel. While still in office in 2005, Sharon suffered two debilitating strokes that left him in a permanent vegetative state from early 2006, a condition which persists to this day.

92. Cool and Lam detective series pen name AA FAIR
“A. A. Fair” was a pen name used by Erle Stanley Gardner for a series of novels about the private detective firm of Bertha Cool and Donald Lam.

I must have read all of the Perry Mason books when I was in college. I think they kept me sane when I was facing the pressure of exams. Author Erle Stanley Gardner was himself a lawyer, although he didn’t get into the profession the easy way. Gardner went to law school, but got himself suspended after a month. So, he became a self-taught attorney and opened his own law office in Merced, California. Understandably, he gave up the law once his novels became successful.

98. Smythe’s comics barfly CAPP
“Andy Capp” is a comic strip from Britain that is syndicated internationally. The strip was created by Reg Smythe in 1957 and is still going strong, despite the fact that Smythe passed away in 1998. Andy Capp and his wife Florrie (also “Flo”) are working class characters who live in the northeast of England. Andy is unemployed and Flo works as a charwoman. “Andy Capp” was my favorite comic strip growing up …

99. Oft-twisted treat OREO
How the Oreo cookie came to get its name seems to have been lost in the mists of time. One theory is that it comes from the French “or” meaning “gold”, a reference to the gold color of the original packing. Another suggestion is that the name is the Greek word “oreo” meaning “beautiful, nice, well-done”.

100. Generic pet name FIDO
“Fido”, the name for many a dog, is the Latin for “I trust”.

104. Blue Devils’ home DUKE
Duke University was founded in 1838 as Brown’s Schoolhouse. The school was renamed to Trinity College in 1859, and to this day the town where the college was located back then is known as Trinity, in honor of the school. The school was moved in 1892 to Durham, North Carolina in part due to generous donations from the wealthy tobacco industrialist Washington Duke. Duke’s donation required that the school open its doors to women, placing them on an equal footing with men. Trinity’s name was changed to Duke in 1924 in recognition of the generosity of the Duke family.

105. Arabian Peninsula port ADEN
Aden is a seaport in Yemen, located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1838 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. Someone from the seaport of Aden is known as an Adeni.

The Arabian Peninsula (also “Arabia”) is part of Western Asia that is located just north-east of Africa. The peninsula is bordered to the west by the Red Sea, to the northeast by the Persian Gulf, and to the southeast by the Indian Ocean. Most of the Arabian Peninsula is taken up by Saudi Arabia, but also included are Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

109. Seuss’ Sam-__ I AM
You know, I probably should read a Dr. Seuss book some day. They weren’t big where I grew up. I understand that the character called Sam in the book “Green Eggs and Ham” is also known as “Sam-I-Am”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Pacific island nation FIJI
5. Eastern teachers LAMAS
10. __ bar SNACK
15. Frequent autograph signer IDOL
19. Quaint plaint EGAD
20. Man with memorable thumbs EBERT
21. Really cold POLAR
22. Extra MORE
23. Singular LONE
24. 1983 novel partly set in a graveyard PET SEMATARY (giving “pet name”)
26. Bakery buys BUNS
27. Arboreal rodents TREE RATS
29. From square one ANEW
30. Tap SPIGOT
32. Steams (up) FOGS
33. Cannes conclusion FINIS
35. Baffled “Jeopardy!” contestant’s effort STAB
36. Proprietary formula, perhaps RECIPE
39. Salon treatments MANIS
40. Frankie Valli singing style FALSETTO
44. Bonding agent EPOXY
45. Classic detective played by William Powell NICK CHARLES (giving “nickname”)
47. Needing training RAW
48. Sourdough’s strike LODE
49. Item sold in a kit MODEL
50. Ohio pro CAV
51. Letter successor, to a large degree EMAIL
53. Non-metallic rocks ICE
54. Bibliophile’s prize FIRST EDITION (giving “first name”)
58. “Spamalot” co-creator IDLE
59. 2000 film set in a confectionery CHOCOLAT
61. __ exam ORAL
62. Fitting to the max APTEST
64. Cold, in Calais FROID
65. Stupefies DAZES
67. DeMille specialties EPICS
68. Taken as __: in its entirety A WHOLE
70. Secret rival? SURE
71. Greatly disliked thing ANATHEMA
74. Engage in braggadocio CROW
75. Simple to operate USER-FRIENDLY (giving “user name”)
79. Rip off COP
80. Salon dye HENNA
82. Back in time AGO
83. Least quantity MINIM
84. Actor’s accessory PROP
85. That, in Toledo ESO
86. Office staple FILE CABINET (giving “filename”)
90. French peninsular city BREST
91. It won’t hold water STRAINER
93. Horse features MANES
94. Marks common in stories QUOTES
95. Landings: Abbr. ARRS
96. Muffet fare CURDS
97. Bedroom community, briefly BURB
98. Joe or java COFFEE
101. Major affair GALA
102. He played Arnold Vinick on “The West Wing” ALAN ALDA
106. Diva’s moment ARIA
107. Any top-25 NFL career scoring leader PLACEKICKER (giving “place name”)
111. Transmission speed unit BAUD
112. Salon treatment PEDI
113. One often turned on LIGHT
114. Top-tier invitees A-LIST
115. Gospel writer LUKE
116. What one star may mean POOR
117. Nods, often YESES
118. Freebies on pillows MINTS
119. Fall locale EDEN

Down
1. Pool surface FELT
2. “M*A*S*H” mess server IGOR
3. Boy’s mother JANE
4. Parisian obsession IDEE FIXE
5. Classic French firearms company LE PAGE
6. Does lookout duty for, say ABETS
7. Subway Series team METS
8. MGM motto word ARS
9. Multi-office rental: Abbr. STE
10. __ rice SPANISH
11. Staff figures NOTES
12. What there oughta be A LAW
13. Jam ingredient? CAR
14. Mrs. Blake Carrington on “Dynasty” KRYSTLE
15. Drink IMBIBE
16. Henning of magic DOUG
17. “Deal __ Deal” OR NO
18. For fear that LEST
25. More than excited MANIC
28. Like challah dough ROPY
31. No longer in PASSE
33. Diamond side FACET
34. Trimming tape INKLE
35. Cannon barrage SALVO
36. Thing of the past RELIC
37. Significant period EPOCH
38. Cheating deterrent CODE OF HONOR (giving “code name”)
39. Center MIDST
40. Weak FRAIL
41. A 36-Across may be one TRADE SECRET (giving “trade name”)
42. Call before the game? TAILS
43. Immature hooter OWLET
45. Org. headquartered near Colorado’s Cheyenne Mountain NORAD
46. Assume the role of ACT AS
49. Surroundings MILIEU
52. Author Albom MITCH
54. Blockhead FOOL
55. Leveling machine DOZER
56. High dudgeon IRE
57. Flamethrower compound NAPALM
60. Broken nursery rhyme item CROWN
63. “Bummer” PITY
65. Red pig DUROC
66. Bit of setter speech ARF
67. Say “Enough!” END IT
68. Liniment targets ACHES
69. Grab forcefully WREST
70. “Like a Rock” singer SEGER
71. Frank and Rice ANNES
72. Seuss’ Thidwick, e.g. MOOSE
73. Date bk. listings APPTS
76. Quarterly report line SALES
77. “Yes, it does bother me!” I MIND!
78. Some, in Stuttgart EINES
81. In flames AFIRE
84. Likely PROBABLE
87. As an answer IN REPLY
88. Charms AMULETS
89. Israeli prime minister before Sharon BARAK
90. Expend, as fuel BURN
92. Cool and Lam detective series pen name AA FAIR
94. Milk buys QUARTS
96. Buried treasure CACHE
97. Consecrated BLEST
98. Smythe’s comics barfly CAPP
99. Oft-twisted treat OREO
100. Generic pet name FIDO
101. Jokes GAGS
102. Related AKIN
103. Praise highly LAUD
104. Blue Devils’ home DUKE
105. Arabian Peninsula port ADEN
108. Invention LIE
109. Seuss’ Sam-__ I AM
110. MDX ÷ X CLI

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4 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 5 Jan 14, Sunday”

  1. Hi Bill, NO comments???
    Just finished the puzzle and got an "A".
    Between football and Merl Reagle and trying to finish crocheting a scarf, I finally stuck in DAZES/DUROC which I will have to read about tomorrow in your write-up.
    Have to get dinner. See you tomorrow!

  2. Hi there, Pookie.

    Sure, isn't it awful lonely here 🙂

    Congrats on the pristine finish today, great for a Sunday. Hope you had as much success with Merl's puzzle.

  3. aI finished the puzzle with everything right (I took agriculture in high school, so Duroc was no problem), but I still had no idea about why the theme was "Name Game." I felt pretty stupid when I googled and found your blog to explain it. Thanks.

  4. Hi there, W. A.

    I must be honest, it took me a while AFTER I'd solved the puzzle to explain to myself how the "Name Game" theme fit the grid. As such, it didn't help with solving at all. But I got there almost unscathed in the end 🙂

Comments are closed.