LA Times Crossword Answers 23 Mar 14, Sunday

Frequently Asked Question: Why isn’t the puzzle in my paper the same as the one shown on your blog?
If the puzzle in your paper doesn’t match the one that I solved, it is probably a Sunday crossword. On Sundays, the “LA Times” chooses to publish Merl Reagle’s excellent crossword, and not their own “LA Times” Crossword. The “LA Times” puzzle is still sent out in syndication, and is also published in the “LA Times” online. I’ve been asked to blog about Merl Reagle’s crossword, but frankly I don’t have the time. Sunday puzzles have lots of clues!

Share today’s solution with a friend:
FacebookTwitterGoogleEmail

CROSSWORD SETTER: Annemarie Brethauer
THEME: Call Me … today’s themed answers all end with something associated with a MOBILE PHONE:

22A. Precursor to reality shows like “Punk’d” CANDID CAMERA
34A. “Oh, I give up!” FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE!
54A. Unlikely job for one with acrophobia? STEEPLEJACK
71A. Deceptive action SMOKE SCREEN
88A. 1952 Groucho Marx film A GIRL IN EVERY PORT
107A. General Lee, in “The Dukes of Hazzard” DODGE CHARGER
14D. “That proves it” I REST MY CASE

63D. Where the ends of 22-, 34-, 54-, 71-, 88- and 107-Across and 14-Down can be found MOBILE PHONE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 16m 28s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Matter of faith DOGMA
A dogma is a set of beliefs, with the plural being “dogmata” (or “dogmas”, if you’re not a pedant like me!)

10. Plays the harpy NAGS
A harpy is a shrewish woman or a predatory person. The term comes from Greek mythology in which a harpy was a winged spirit noted for stealing food from a king called Phineus. Phineus angered the god Zeus and so was punished by being exiled to an island with a buffet of food that he could never eat. Every time he tried to eat, harpies would arrive and steal the food

14. Puckish sort IMP
Puck is a mischievous sprite in old English folklore.

17. Brooks Robinson, notably ORIOLE
Brooks Robinson played baseball for the Baltimore Orioles for the whole of his MLB career, from 1955 to 1977. Many believe that Robinson was the great defensive third baseman to play the game. He was given the nickname “The Human Vacuum Cleaner” for his ability to “suck up” ground balls.

19. John’s 2008 running mate SARAH
When John McCain selected Sarah Palin as candidate for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she became the first Alaskan to go on the national ticket for a major party. She also became the first woman nominated for Vice President by the Republican Party.

20. Schubert classic AVE MARIA
Franz Schubert wrote a piece of music in 1825 called “Ellen’s Third Song”, part of a group of songs written based on Walter Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake”. The opening words in the refrain are “Ave Maria”, which perhaps led to the melody of the song being adapted to the Roman Catholic prayer that uses the words “Ave Maria” is its title.

22. Precursor to reality shows like “Punk’d” CANDID CAMERA
The hidden-camera prank show called “Candid Camera” was created and produced by Allen Funt, and first aired on television in 1948. The show actually started as “Candid Microphone”, a radio series that was broadcast from 1947 until it was eclipsed by the television version.

24. Least likely to make a faux pas POLITEST
The term “faux pas” is French in origin, and translates literally as “false step” (or “false steps”, as the plural has the same spelling in French).

27. Test in a small room, maybe TRY ON
One might try on an item of clothing in a small changing room.

34. “Oh, I give up!” FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE!
“For the love of Mike” is another of those phrases that is a “softened” oath. The more blasphemous phrase would be “for the love of God”, and this was changed to “for the love of St. Michael”, and then to “for the love of Mike”.

39. Singer Grant AMY
Amy Grant is known as “The Queen of Christian Pop” and her most famous songs are Gospel and Contemporary Christian works. Grant recorded two songs that made it to number one in the commercial charts: “The Next Time I Fall” (1981, duet with Peter Cetera) and “Baby Baby” (1991).

40. Plant sometimes called a false shamrock OXALIS
The wood-sorrel species Oxalis triangularis is commonly called False Shamrock. There is a subspecies that is known colloquially as Love Plant and Purple Shamrock. I remember (just about) a very “happy time” in the Purple Shamrock pub in Beacon Hill in Boston many, many moons ago …

44. __ Martin Cognac REMY
Remy Martin is my favorite brand of cognac (remember that when it’s my birthday!). In China, the name Remy Martin is not used, but rather the more colorful moniker, “man-headed horse”, describing the centaur logo on the bottle.

47. Hank who voices Moe Szyslak AZARIA
Hank Azaria is one of my favorite American actors, someone who I think can really expertly portray a vast array of characters. I can’t stand “The Simpsons” mind you, a show to which Azaria is inextricably linked, but if you look at his role in “The Birdcage” as a flamboyant gay houseboy, and his role in “Shattered Glass” as a stoic magazine editor, you’ll get a taste for Azaria’s extensive range.

Moe Szyslak is the surly bartender and owner of Moe’s Tavern in “The Simpsons” animated TV show. I don’t really care for “The Simpsons”, but Hank Azaria who supplies the voice for the Moe character … him I like …

53. “Annie” couple? ENS
There are a couple of letters N in the word “Annie”.

54. Unlikely job for one with acrophobia? STEEPLEJACK
Our prefix “acro-” comes from the Greek “akros” meaning “at the top”. Examples are “acrophobia” (fear of heights) and “Acropolis” (“city at the top”).

64. North Pole explorer PEARY
The famous American explorer Robert Peary, was supposedly the first man to reach the geographic North Pole, although that claim has been disputed even back in 1909 right after Peary returned from his trek across the polar ice. At issue is the accuracy of his navigation.

67. “Walk on By” singer Warwick DIONNE
Dionne Warwick is a very, very successful singer, with more Top 100 hits than any other female vocalist other than Aretha Franklin. Warwick had a pretty successful cousin who was a singer as well … called Whitney Houston.

“Walk on By” is a song by Burt Bacharach and Hal Davis that has been recorded many times, most famously by Dionne Warwick back in 1964. I saw Burt Bacharach in concert not too long ago. It was a great night and quite remarkable in that Bacharach is still going strong, well into his eighties.

69. Honda, even in reverse? CIVIC
Introduced in 1972, the Honda Civic is the second-oldest brand of Japanese car made for the US today (only the Toyota Corolla has been around longer). Today’s Civic is a compact car, but the original was smaller, and classed as a sub-compact. The first design had a transverse-mounted engine and front-wheel drive to save on space, copying the configuration introduced with the British Mini.

70. Reporter assigned to a platoon, e.g. EMBED
Although journalists have been directly reporting from the front lines in military conflicts for some time, the term “embedded journalism” only came into fashion during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A formal arrangement was made between the US Military and hundreds of reporters allowing the journalists to travel with military units and, under pre-ordained conditions, report directly from those units. Some say that the arrangement was mutually beneficial. On the one hand the journalists had relatively little to worry about in terms of transportation and travel through combat zones. On the other hand, the military had better control over what did and did not get reported.

74. Dancer Charisse CYD
Actress Cyd Charisse was famous for her dancing ability and the many roles she played opposite Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Charisse carved out a career based on dance despite the fact that she suffered from polio as a child. In fact, she took up ballet at the age of twelve to help build up her strength as she recovered from the disease.

77. Mario Kart console WII
“Mario Kart” is a go-kart racing video game series from Nintendo.

82. Bath sponge LOOFA
The loofah (also loofa, lufah and luffa, all Arabic words) is a vine, with fruit that’s very popular in Asia and Africa. If the fruit is allowed to mature, it can be processed to remove everything but the more rigid xylem structure (remember your high school botany class?) leaving a soft, sponge-like mass that is used as a skin polisher.

87. Girl o’ my heart PEG
The song “Peg O’ My Heart” appeared in the 1913 musical “Ziegfeld Follies”. The 1947 version referred to in the clue is by the Harmonicats, who had the most successful recording, one that made the number spot in the charts that year.

88. 1952 Groucho Marx film A GIRL IN EVERY PORT
“A Girl in Every Port” is a 1952 comedy film starring Groucho Marx (without the rest of the Marx Brothers). The movie is based on a short story by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan called “They Sell Sailors Elephants”, and is about two sailors who by a racehorse.

96. River nymph NAIAD
The Naiads of Greek mythology were water nymphs, associated with fountains, wells, springs and streams. The saltwater equivalents to the freshwater Naiads were the Oceanids.

98. Rose pest APHID
Aphids are called “greenfly” back in the British Isles where I come from. The most effective way to control aphids in my experience is to make sure there are plenty of ladybugs in the garden (called ladybirds in Ireland!), which prey on the aphids.

99. Colorado resort ASPEN
Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays of course, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

100. Smart __ ALEC
Apparently the original “smart Alec” was Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

101. Nimbus AURA
A “nimbus” is an aura, a radiant light or a splendid atmosphere. “Nimbus” is the Latin for “cloud”.

107. General Lee, in “The Dukes of Hazzard” DODGE CHARGER
“The Dukes of Hazzard” is a comedy adventure TV show that originally aired from 1979 to 1985. The title characters are Bo and Luke Dike, two cousins from the rural part of the fictional county of Hazzard in Georgia. The pair drive around in the General Lee, a flashy Dodge Charger stock car. Other notable characters in the show were Daisy Duke (played by Catherine Bach) and Boss Hogg (played by Sorrell Booke).

110. Sexy sleepwear LINGERIE
“Lingerie” is a French term, but as used in France it just means any underwear, worn by either males or females. In English we use “lingerie” to describe alluring underclothing worn by women. The term “lingerie” comes into English via the French word “linge” meaning “washables”, and ultimately from the Latin “linum”, meaning “linen”. We tend not to pronounce the word correctly in English, either here in the US or across the other side of the Atlantic. The French pronunciation is more like “lan-zher-ee”, as opposed to “lon-zher-ay” (American) and “lon-zher-ee” (British).

111. “Silas Marner” novelist ELIOT
“Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe” is a novel written by George Eliot and first published in 1861. There’s an excellent BBC TV version of the tale (shown on PBS) starring Ben Kingsley in the title role, with Patsy Kensit playing Eppie, the young orphaned child that Marner takes under his wing.

116. Uplift EDIFY
“To edify” is to provide instruction in order to improve spiritually, morally or intellectually. The intent is to “build up” someone’s faith or morality, and so “edify” comes from the Latin “aedificare” meaning “to build, construct”. This Latin root also gives us our word “edifice”.

Down
1. Severinsen and a dwarf DOCS
Doc Severinsen is a op and jazz trumpeter, best known as the head of the NBC Orchestra on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”.

In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:

– Doc (the leader of the group)
– Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
– Happy
– Sleepy
– Bashful
– Sneezy
– Dopey

3. Futurist painter Severini GINO
Gino Severini was a painter from Italy who was a leading member of the Futurist movement of the early 20th century. The Futurists emphasized and celebrated concepts associated with the future such as speed, technology, the car, the airplane and the industrial city.

5. “Fight of the Century” contender ALI
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had three memorable fights. The first was billed as the “Fight of the Century” and took place in 1971 in Madison Square Garden. It was a fight between two great boxers, both of whom were undefeated up till that point. Frazier won in a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds. A couple of years later, in 1973, Frazier lost his title to George Foreman. Ali and Frazier had a non-title rematch in 1974, with Ali coming out ahead this time, also in a unanimous decision. Later that year, Ali grabbed back the World Heavyweight Title in “The Rumble in the Jungle”, the famous “rope-a-dope” fight against George Foreman. That set the stage for the third and final fight between Ali and Frazier, “The Thrilla in Manila”. Ali won the early rounds, but Frazier made a comeback in the middle of the fight. Ali took control at the end of the bout, so much so that Frazier wasn’t able to come out of his corner for the 15th and final round. He couldn’t come out of his corner because both of his eyes were swollen shut, giving Ali a victory due to a technical knockout (TKO).

7. “… such stuff / As dreams __ made on”: Shak. ARE
Here is a line that is oft quoted from William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”:
We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.

8. Wild African pig WARTHOG
A warthog is a wild animal from the pig family found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The animal takes its name from four wart-like protrusions on its head that serve as a means of defense as well as reserves of fat.

9. “Funny Girl” actor SHARIF
Omar Sharif is the great Hollywood actor from Egypt, an actor who played major roles in memorable movies such as “Doctor Zhivago” and “Lawrence of Arabia”. But to me he is my bridge hero (the card game). In his heyday Sharif was one of the best bridge players in the world.

The movie “Funny Girl” stars Barbra Streisand in the title role of Fanny Brice. The real Fanny Brice was a theater and film actress, and “Funny Girl” is very loosely based on her life story. Fanny Brice was born into a Hungarian Jewish family in New York City, with the real name of Fania Borach.

10. Italia seaport NAPOLI
Naples (“Napoli” in Italian) is the third largest city in Italy. The name “Napoli” comes from the city’s Ancient Greek name, which translates as “New City”. That’s a bit of a paradox as today Naples is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world.

11. Stratford’s river AVON
There are actually four rivers called the Avon in England, but “Shakespeare’s Avon” lies mainly in Warwickshire. The name “Avon” comes from the Old English word for a river, “abona”. Stratford-upon-Avon was of course the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

12. Brylcreem, e.g. GEL
The original Brylcreem product was a pomade introduced in England in 1928. When it first appeared in a television advertisement it was touted with a jingle that started out:

Bryl-creem, a little dab’ll do ya,
Use more, only if you dare,
But watch out,
The gals will all pursue ya,–
They’ll love to put their fingers through your hair.

15. King novel MISERY
The 1990 film “Misery” is an adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. I think it’s the only movie of a King book that I’ve watched and enjoyed. I can’t stomach his books, not because of the writing, but because of the gruesome scenes that are part of the plots. The screen version of “Misery” is toned down a little from the original storyline. In the novel, the Kathy Bates character amputates the James Caan character’s foot to incapacitate him. In the movie she just smashes his ankles. Big difference …

19. __ Domingo SANTO
Santo Domingo de Guzmán is the capital city of the Dominican Republic. Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit what is now the Dominican Republic, in 1492. Four years later Christopher’s younger brother, Bartholomew Columbus arrived, and founded Santo Domingo, making the city the oldest, continuously-inhabited European settlement in the Americas.

33. “Ice Road Truckers” truck SEMI
“Ice Road Truckers” is a reality show on the History channel that has been airing since 2007. The show follows the perilous journeys of truckers who drive over frozen lakes and rivers in remote areas of Canada and Alaska during the winter.

34. Links cry FORE!
No one seems to know for sure where the golfing term “fore!” comes from. It has been used at least as far back as 1881, and since then has been called out to warn other golfers that a wayward ball might be heading their way. My favorite possibility for its origin is that it is a contraction of the Gaelic warning cry “Faugh a Ballach!” (clear the way!) which is still called out in the sport of road bowling. Road bowling is an Irish game where players bowl balls along roads between villages, trying to reach the end of the course in as few bowls as possible, just like in golf!

38. Starfleet captain KIRK
According to the storyline in “Star Trek”, Captain James Tiberius Kirk was born in Riverside, Iowa. The town of Riverside displays a plaque, noting Riverside as the “future birthplace of James T. Kirk.”

43. Legendary attendant of Charlemagne PALADIN
The paladins were warrior attendants of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks. Also called the Twelve Peers, the paladins often features in fictional tales of heroism about the period.

45. Own (up) FESS
The term “fess” is most often seen as part of the phrasal verb “to fess up” meaning “to admit to something”. “Fess” is simply a shortened form of “confess”.

46. “Never __ Me Go”: Kazuo Ishiguro novel LET
“Never Let Me Go” is a 2005 novel by Japanese-born British writer Kazuo Ishiguro (who also penned “The Remains of the Day”). “Never Let Me Go” is a work of science fiction that follows the lives of a woman and two of her childhood friends. The three discover that they are clones who have been bred to provide vital organs for “normal” people when required.

47. Slightly open AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

49. Lowest gin card ACE
Gin rummy is a variant of the slower game of standard rummy and was introduced in 1909 by one Elwood Baker and his son.

52. Prof’s degree PHD
PhD is an abbreviation for “philosophiae doctor”, Latin for “teacher of philosophy”.

55. Went like the dickens TORE
The phrase “like the dickens” is used to mean “a lot” (it hurts like the dickens) or “quickly” (ran like the dickens). The phrase has nothing to do with the author Charles Dickens, and rather “dickens” is a euphemism for the “devil”.

59. Artist Magritte RENE
Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work maybe is “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in the great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

62. __ Valley, Calif. SIMI
Nowadays Simi Valley is perhaps best known as being home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. If you ever get the chance to do so, the library is a great place to visit. There you can tour one of the retired Air Force One planes.

64. Slipshod POOR
Someone of something described as “slipshod” is slovenly in appearance or sloppy. The term probably comes from the idea of someone appearing in one’s slippers, someone who hasn’t made an effort in their dress.

65. Actress Sommer ELKE
Elke Sommer is a German-born actress who was at the height of her success on the silver screen in the sixties. Sommer won a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer Actress for her role opposite Paul Newman in 1964’s “The Prize”. She also sings and has released several albums. Now Sommer focuses on painting, producing artwork that is strongly influenced by the work of Marc Chagall.

68. “OMG, stop telling me all this!” TMI
Too much information (“TMI” in text-speak)

74. “Pinocchio” goldfish CLEO
In the 1940 Disney animated feature “Pinocchio”, the woodcarver Geppetto has two pets. He has a tuxedo cat called Figaro and goldfish called Cleo.

75. “In __ Eyes”: Peter Gabriel hit YOUR
Peter Gabriel is a singer-songwriter from England who used to perform with the rock band Genesis.

85. Lozenge TROCHE
A troche is a medicinal lozenge, like a pastille, and is usually circular in shape. “Troche” ultimately derives from the Greek word for “wheel”.

86. Writer Rand AYN
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist born Alisa Rosenbaum. Rand’s two best known works are her novels “The Fountainhead” published in 1943 and “Atlas Shrugged” in 1957. Back in 1951, Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City. Soon after, she gathered a group of admirers around her with whom she discussed philosophy and shared drafts of her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged”. This group called itself “The Collective”, and one of the founding members was none other than future Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan.

87. Ribbed fabric POPLIN
Poplin is a strong fabric that is traditionally made from silk and worsted yarn. The name “poplin” evolved from “papelino”, a fabric made in Avignon, France. The French fabric was named for the papal residence located in the city.

90. Kool Moe Dee genre RAP
Kool Moe Dee is the stage name of rap artist Mohandas Dewese. Kool Moe Dee had the honor of being the first rap artist to perform at the Grammys, and was one of the first rappers to actually win a Grammy Award.

91. German ballads LIEDER
“Lied” (plural “Lieder”) is a German word meaning “song”. The term is often used to describe romantic German poems that have been set to music. The most famous Lieder are perhaps those written by Franz Schubert, example being the lovely “”Der Tod und das Mädchen” and “Gretchen am Spinnrade”.

93. Fridge juice: Abbr. ELEC
It takes “juice” (electricity) to run a refrigerator (fridge).

94. Cellist Casals PABLO
Pablo Casals was a wonderful cellist, from Catalonia in Spain. Casals lived at the time of the Franco regime in Spain. As a supporter of the Spanish Republican Government he placed himself in self-imposed exile in 1938, vowing not to return home until democracy had been restored. Casals never again set foot on Spanish soil, and died in Puerto Rico in 1973.

99. Cambodia setting ASIA
The Kingdom of Cambodia is located in the Indochina Peninsula of Southeast Asia, and is bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the Gulf of Thailand. “Cambodia” is the English version of the country’s name, which in Khmer is “Kampuchea”.

102. Hybrid citrus fruit UGLI
The ugli fruit is a hybrid of an orange and a tangerine, first discovered growing wild in Jamaica where most ugli fruit comes from today.

106. Before, to Byron ERE
George Gordon Byron, known simply as “Lord Byron”, was an English poet active in the early 1800s. Byron was equally as famous for his poetry as he was for the wild excesses in his personal life. Byron lived much of that life outside of England, and fought for revolutionaries in both Italy and Greece. He died from a fever contracted while fighting for the Greeks against the Ottomans.

Share today’s solution with a friend:
FacebookTwitterGoogleEmail

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Matter of faith DOGMA
6. Statutes LAWS
10. Plays the harpy NAGS
14. Puckish sort IMP
17. Brooks Robinson, notably ORIOLE
19. John’s 2008 running mate SARAH
20. Schubert classic AVE MARIA
22. Precursor to reality shows like “Punk’d” CANDID CAMERA
24. Least likely to make a faux pas POLITEST
25. Blackthorn fruit SLOE
26. Beach feature DUNE
27. Test in a small room, maybe TRY ON
29. Comes in last LOSES
30. Sploshed SPILT
32. Apothecary’s bottle PHIAL
33. Guard SENTRY
34. “Oh, I give up!” FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE!
39. Singer Grant AMY
40. Plant sometimes called a false shamrock OXALIS
41. Australia’s lang. ENG
42. Intimate IMPLY
44. __ Martin Cognac REMY
45. Collar target FLEA
47. Hank who voices Moe Szyslak AZARIA
50. Soup holder CUP
53. “Annie” couple? ENS
54. Unlikely job for one with acrophobia? STEEPLEJACK
57. Pet shop purchase LEASH
59. Perch ROOST
60. Spinner in the wind VANE
61. Fell from grace LAPSED
62. Slide preparations SMEARS
64. North Pole explorer PEARY
66. Straightened (up) TIDIED
67. “Walk on By” singer Warwick DIONNE
68. Narrated TOLD
69. Honda, even in reverse? CIVIC
70. Reporter assigned to a platoon, e.g. EMBED
71. Deceptive action SMOKE SCREEN
74. Dancer Charisse CYD
77. Mario Kart console WII
78. Lampoon SATIRE
80. Shells out PAYS
81. Botanical balm ALOE
82. Bath sponge LOOFA
84. A pop PER
85. Seal, in a way TAPE UP
87. Girl o’ my heart PEG
88. 1952 Groucho Marx film A GIRL IN EVERY PORT
94. Many a cottonwood POPLAR
96. River nymph NAIAD
97. Solo ALONE
98. Rose pest APHID
99. Colorado resort ASPEN
100. Smart __ ALEC
101. Nimbus AURA
105. Most fair BLONDEST
107. General Lee, in “The Dukes of Hazzard” DODGE CHARGER
110. Sexy sleepwear LINGERIE
111. “Silas Marner” novelist ELIOT
112. Lacing aid EYELET
113. Opposite of six, on a die ONE
114. Gather REAP
115. Phoned RANG
116. Uplift EDIFY

Down
1. Severinsen and a dwarf DOCS
2. Spoken ORAL
3. Futurist painter Severini GINO
4. Without pretension MODESTLY
5. “Fight of the Century” contender ALI
6. Barely believable LAME
7. “… such stuff / As dreams __ made on”: Shak. ARE
8. Wild African pig WARTHOG
9. “Funny Girl” actor SHARIF
10. Italia seaport NAPOLI
11. Stratford’s river AVON
12. Brylcreem, e.g. GEL
13. Request at a sitting SMILE
14. “That proves it” I REST MY CASE
15. King novel MISERY
16. Sitting duck PATSY
18. Swirling currents EDDIES
19. __ Domingo SANTO
21. Without a key ATONAL
23. Select CULL
28. Edible tuber YAM
31. Upsilon follower PHI
32. __ code PENAL
33. “Ice Road Truckers” truck SEMI
34. Links cry FORE!
35. Team in a field OXEN
36. Ewes’ guys RAMS
37. Second in command VEEP
38. Starfleet captain KIRK
43. Legendary attendant of Charlemagne PALADIN
45. Own (up) FESS
46. “Never __ Me Go”: Kazuo Ishiguro novel LET
47. Slightly open AJAR
48. Screwball ZANY
49. Lowest gin card ACE
51. Secondhand USED
52. Prof’s degree PHD
54. What’s-his-face SO AND SO
55. Went like the dickens TORE
56. Skirt EVADE
58. Really amazing, to a dude EPIC
59. Artist Magritte RENE
61. Not taped LIVE
62. __ Valley, Calif. SIMI
63. Where the ends of 22-, 34-, 54-, 71-, 88- and 107-Across and 14-Down can be found MOBILE PHONE
64. Slipshod POOR
65. Actress Sommer ELKE
66. Binds TIES
67. Web revealer DEW
68. “OMG, stop telling me all this!” TMI
69. Call out CRY
71. Doe’s beau STAG
72. Use SPEND
73. Give a hoot CARE
74. “Pinocchio” goldfish CLEO
75. “In __ Eyes”: Peter Gabriel hit YOUR
76. Agcy. DEPT
79. Miles off AFAR
81. Stood before the court APPEARED
83. Flashing flirtatious looks OGLING
84. Self-playing instrument PIANOLA
85. Lozenge TROCHE
86. Writer Rand AYN
87. Ribbed fabric POPLIN
89. Keeping up (with) IN STEP
90. Kool Moe Dee genre RAP
91. German ballads LIEDER
92. Worker with many keys VALET
93. Fridge juice: Abbr. ELEC
94. Cellist Casals PABLO
95. One doing sums ADDER
99. Cambodia setting ASIA
100. All aflutter AGOG
102. Hybrid citrus fruit UGLI
103. Snorkeling site REEF
104. Affectedly cultured ARTY
106. Before, to Byron ERE
108. Continuous babble DIN
109. “I see,” at sea AYE

Return to top of page

3 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 23 Mar 14, Sunday”

  1. Interesting item about harpies. I think that the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz were based on the harpy mythology. While the wicked Witch of the West is often referred to as a harpy, the winged monkeys are her proxies and conform more strictly to the legend as you describe it.

    Re paladins, I well remember one of my favorite old TV shows with a main character named Paladin. He rode the west performing heroic acts as a gun for hire. The show was "Have Gun, Will Travel". Could they have stolen the idea from Charlemagne?

    Just a couple of musings today 🙂

  2. Hi Bill, Piano man, Vidwan, Sfingi, Addict and Jeff!
    Got it all today except PALADIN/IMPLY.
    Gone all day yesterday, didn't even get a chance to look at Sat. puzzle.
    Have a few weeks off now, except for jury duty looming over my head for next week. Bah!

  3. @Piano Man
    Oh, don't mention the flying monkeys. I remember seeing "The Wiazard of Oz" for the first time as a kid in the cinema. I kept "dropping" things onto the floor so that I could go look for them under my seat, just so I didn't have to see the flying monkeys on the screen. To this day, I've never seen the whole of that film. I wouldn't even go the stage musical with my wife. I'm such a coward …

    @Pookie
    Hope that you enjoy your few days off, and get some puzzling done. And hopefully jury duty will be a breeze for you.

Comments are closed.