LA Times Crossword Answers 10 Feb 14, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Bruce R. Sutphin
THEME: Send in the Clowns … today’s themed answers end with types of CLOWN:

17A. Bil Keane comic strip THE FAMILY CIRCUS (giving “circus clown”)
28A. Bygone Honda CR-V rival ISUZU RODEO (giving “rodeo clown”)
44A. Flier’s upgrade FIRST CLASS (giving “class clown”)
60A. Sondheim song, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 28- and 44-Across SEND IN THE CLOWNS

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 5m 06s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

10. Spot to shop MALL
Surprisingly, our word “mall”, meaning “shady walk” or “enclosed shopping space”, comes from the Italian for “mallet”. All of our shopping-style malls are named for “The Mall” in St. James’s Park in London. This tree-lined promenade was so called as it used to a famous spot to play the croquet-like game called “pall-mall”. The game derived its name from the Italian for ball (palla) and mallet “maglio”. The London thoroughfare called the Mall still exists, at one end of which is Buckingham Palace. Indeed, parallel to the Mall is a street called Pall Mall.

14. Lot measurement ACRE
At one time, an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. This was more precisely defined as a strip of land one furlong long (660 feet) and one chain wide (66 feet). The word “furlong” is actually derived from the Old English words meaning “furrow long”, the length of the furrow plowed by the oxen.

16. Reed to which an orchestra tunes OBOE
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”. When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you’ll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

17. Bil Keane comic strip THE FAMILY CIRCUS (giving “circus clown”)
Bil Keane is a cartoonist most associated with his strip “The Family Circus”. Once Bil sketches out the text and idea for the cartoon, he sends it off to his son Jeff Keane who inks and colors the pictures so that the strip is ready for publication. In the storyline itself, the main characters are based on Bil’s own family. In fact, the son “Jeffy” in the story is based on Jeff, Bil’s son and production assistant.

20. Briny SEA
The “briny” is the sea, from “brine” meaning “salty water”. The term “briny” was originally used for “tears”.

23. Journalist Sawyer DIANE
Diane Sawyer is the anchor of ABC’s news program “ABC World News”. Sawyer started her career in the Nixon White House where she was hired by the Press Secretary at the time, Ron Ziegler. She worked with Nixon to help him write his memoirs after he left office and helped prepare the ex-president for his famous series of television interviews with David Frost in 1977. Sawyer is married to Mike Nichols, the noted film director.

25. Chess pieces MEN
It is believed that the game of chess originated in northwest India, evolving from a 6th-century game called “chaturanga”, a Sanskrit word meaning “four divisions”. These four (military) divisions were represented in the game:

– Infantry (now “pawns”)
– Cavalry (now “knights”)
– Elephants (now “bishops”)
– Chariots (now “rooks”)

26. Chess piece PAWN
In the game of chess, the pawns are the weakest pieces on the board. A pawn that can make it to the opposite of the board can be “promoted” to a piece of choice, usually a queen. Using promotion of pawns, it is possible for a player to have two or more queens on the board at one time. However, standard chess sets come with only one queen per side, so a captured rook is often used as the second queen by placing it on the board upside down.

28. Bygone Honda CR-V rival ISUZU RODEO (giving “rodeo clown”)
The Rodeo is a compact SUV that was produced by Isuzu for the North American market. At the same time, the Isuzu Rodeo name was used on compact pickup trucks sold in Japan.

34. Teacher’s 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.

36. Gardner of Hollywood AVA
The actress Ava Gardner is noted for her association with some big movies, but also for her association with some big names when it came to the men in her life. In the world of film, Gardner appeared in the likes of “Mogambo” (1953), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964) and “Earthquake” (1974). The men in her life included husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. After her marriages had failed (and perhaps before!) she had long term relationships with Howard Hughes and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin whom she met through her friend Ernest Hemingway.

37. Strip of latticework LATH
The words “lath” and “lattice” have the same root in Old French. Laths are thin strips of wood that are nailed across a frame forming a backing to which plaster can be applied to finish a wall.

38. Low card DEUCE
“Deuce” is a word that we sometimes use for a “two” in a game of dice or cards. The term comes from “deux”, the French word for “two”.

40. “It’s Your Space” rental company 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.

42. “The Clan of the Cave Bear” author Jean AUEL
As Jean Auel prepared her first book in the “Earth’s Children” series, she did a lot of research about the Ice Age, the setting for her stories. She went as far as taking a survival course in cold conditions, learning to build an ice cave and how to make fire, tan leather and knap stone.

49. It may be doffed HAT
One doffs one’s hat, usually as a mark of respect. To doff is to take off, with “doff” being a contraction of “do off”. The opposite of “doff” is “don” meaning “to put on”.

60. Sondheim song, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 28- and 44-Across SEND IN THE CLOWNS
“Send in the Clowns” is a gorgeous, gorgeous song by Stephen Sondheim from his 1973 musical “A Little Night Music”. The song doesn’t actually have anything to do with clowns, and the title could be translated to “Aren’t We Fools?”

Stephen Sondheim has won more Tony Awards than any other composer, a total of eight. He has a long list of stage (and big screen) successes including “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, “A Little Night Music”, “Sweeney Todd” and “Into the Woods”. Sondheim is big fan of crosswords and had a whole series of cryptic crosswords published in “New York” magazine in the sixties.

64. Dance studio rail BARRE
A “barre” is a handrail used by ballet dancers for warm-up exercises and to provide support when practicing certain moves.

65. Actress Fey TINA
Comic actress Tina Fey has a scar on her face a few inches long on her left cheek, which I was shocked to learn was caused by a childhood “slashing” incident. When she was just five years old and playing in the front yard of her house, someone just came up to her and slashed her with a knife. How despicable!

Down
4. Pajamaed mogul, familiarly HEF
Hugh Hefner is from Chicago. His first publishing job was in the military, where he worked as a writer for a US Army newspaper from 1944-46. He went to college after his military service and then worked as a copywriter for “Esquire” magazine. He left “Esquire” to found his own publication that he called “Playboy”, which first hit the newsstands in 1953. “Playboy” has been around ever since.

5. Zodiac’s Twins GEMINI
“Gemini” is the Latin word for “twins”.

6. Martini garnishes OLIVES
The name “martini” probably takes it name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US. The original martini was made with gin and sweet vermouth, but someone specifying a “dry” martini was given gin and dry vermouth. Nowadays we use dry vermouth for all martinis and the term “dry” has become a reference to how little vermouth is included in the drink. Famously, Noel Coward liked his drink very dry and said that a perfect martini is made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”.

8. Ice cream brand EDY’S
Dreyers’ ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyers in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dryer and Joseph Edy.

9. TiVo button REC
TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

10. Multitalented Rita MORENO
The Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress Rita Moreno is one of the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Moreno got her big break, and won her Oscar, for playing Anita in the 1961 screen adaption of “West Side Story”.

25. Source of inspiration MUSE
In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses is a subject of debate at times, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

– Calliope (epic poetry)
– Clio (history)
– Erato (lyric poetry)
– Euterpe (music)
– Melpomene (tragedy)
– Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
– Terpsichore (dance)
– Thalia (comedy)
– Urania (astronomy)

26. Rice dish PILAF
“Pilaf” is a Persian word, and we use it to describe rice that is browned in oil and then cooked in a seasoned broth.

27. Vintage violin AMATI
The first of the Amati family to make violins was Andrea Amati, who lived in the 14th century. He was succeeded by his sons, Antonio and Girolamo. In turn, they were succeeded by Girolamo’s son, Nicolo. Nicolo had a few students who achieved fame making musical instruments as well. One was his own son, Girolamo, and another was the famed Antonio Stradivari.

29. Throat dangler UVULA
The uvula is that conical fleshy projection hanging down at the back of the soft palate. The uvula plays an important role in human speech, particularly in the making of “guttural” sounds. The Latin word for “grape” is “uva”, so “uvula” is a “little grape”.

30. Tween heartthrob Efron ZAC
Zac Efron is an actor from San Luis Obispo, California. Apparently Efron is a heartthrob to “tweenyboppers”. His big break was in the Disney hit movie “High School Musical”.

31. “Life on Mars?” singer DAVID BOWIE
If you listen to David Bowie’s 1973 song “Life on Mars?” you might notice a similarity to Frank Sinatra’s 1969 hit “My Way” (written by Paul Anka). Both songs are based on a 1967 French tune called “Comme d’habitude”.

33. Desert retreats OASES
The most famous oasis in the US is … Las Vegas, in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

40. Oscar winner Arkin ALAN
The actor Alan Arkin won his only Oscar (Best Supporting Actor) for his role in “Little Miss Sunshine” from 2006, a movie that I just did not understand …

42. Arcade pioneer ATARI
At one point, the electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was the fastest growing company in US history. However, Atari never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983.

51. Commonly injured knee ligament, for short ACL
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

52. Deadly snakes ASPS
The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen decided to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.

55. List finisher: Abbr. ET AL
Et alii (et al.) is the equivalent of et cetera (etc.), with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names. In fact “et al.” can stand for et alii (for a group of males, or males and females), aliae (for a group of women) and et alia (for a group of neuter nouns, or for a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

59. Future D.A.’s hurdle LSAT
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been around since 1948.

61. “The Voice” network NBC
“The Voice” is yet another reality television show. “The Voice” is a singing competition in which the judges hear the contestants without seeing them in the first round. The judges then take on chosen contestants as coaches for the remaining rounds. “The Voice” is a highly successful worldwide franchise that originated in the Netherlands.

62. Gambling letters OTB
Off-Track Betting (OTB) is the legal gambling that takes place on horse races outside of a race track. A betting parlor can be referred to as an OTB.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Class with numbers MATH
5. One making a coffee run, say GOFER
10. Spot to shop MALL
14. Lot measurement ACRE
15. Skip over, in speech ELIDE
16. Reed to which an orchestra tunes OBOE
17. Bil Keane comic strip THE FAMILY CIRCUS (giving “circus clown”)
20. Briny SEA
21. Buzzing homes HIVES
22. Tree houses? NESTS
23. Journalist Sawyer DIANE
25. Chess pieces MEN
26. Chess piece PAWN
28. Bygone Honda CR-V rival ISUZU RODEO (giving “rodeo clown”)
34. Teacher’s Apple IMAC
35. Expansive VAST
36. Gardner of Hollywood AVA
37. Strip of latticework LATH
38. Low card DEUCE
40. “It’s Your Space” rental company AVIS
41. Gobbled up ATE
42. “The Clan of the Cave Bear” author Jean AUEL
43. Diet label word LITE
44. Flier’s upgrade FIRST CLASS (giving “class clown”)
48. Fruity quenchers ADES
49. It may be doffed HAT
50. Backup strategy PLAN B
52. Like an enthusiastic crowd AROAR
55. Guiding principle ETHIC
57. Sub sandwich dressing item OIL
60. Sondheim song, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 28- and 44-Across SEND IN THE CLOWNS
63. Wear a hole in the carpet PACE
64. Dance studio rail BARRE
65. Actress Fey TINA
66. Winter transport SLED
67. Prints and threads, to detectives CLUES
68. __ in Show: dog prize BEST

Down
1. Wrestling surfaces MATS
2. Workout woe ACHE
3. Stay afloat in place TREAD WATER
4. Pajamaed mogul, familiarly HEF
5. Zodiac’s Twins GEMINI
6. Martini garnishes OLIVES
7. Store in a folder FILE
8. Ice cream brand EDY’S
9. TiVo button REC
10. Multitalented Rita MORENO
11. Basic lessons ABCS
12. Big oaf LOUT
13. Not as much LESS
18. “Figured it out!” AHA!
19. Unmoving INERT
24. Creep (along) INCH
25. Source of inspiration MUSE
26. Rice dish PILAF
27. Vintage violin AMATI
29. Throat dangler UVULA
30. Tween heartthrob Efron ZAC
31. “Life on Mars?” singer DAVID BOWIE
32. Online party notice E-VITE
33. Desert retreats OASES
38. Conduit for tears DUCT
39. Slippery swimmer EEL
40. Oscar winner Arkin ALAN
42. Arcade pioneer ATARI
45. Out of the sun SHADED
46. Region of influence SPHERE
47. Cuts for a sandwich SLICES
51. Commonly injured knee ligament, for short ACL
52. Deadly snakes ASPS
53. Genuine REAL
54. A single time ONCE
55. List finisher: Abbr. ET AL
56. No __ traffic THRU
58. Travelers’ stops INNS
59. Future D.A.’s hurdle LSAT
61. “The Voice” network NBC
62. Gambling letters OTB

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