LA Times Crossword Answers 24 Mar 14, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Marti DuGuay-Carpenter
THEME: This and/or/a That … today’s themed answers start and end with two similar words, with the second word the same as the first except for a letter I changed to a letter A:

20A. Original Ice Follies slapstick skating duo FRICK AND FRACK
28A. Retaliatory equivalent TIT FOR TAT
39A. Happy heartbeat sound PIT-A-PAT
48A. Knickknacky stuff BRIC-A-BRAC
58A. Small, irregular amounts DRIBS AND DRABS

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 19s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

5. Pet adoption gp. ASPCA
Unlike in most developed countries, there is no “umbrella” organization in the US with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.

10. Environs AREA
“Environ” is the French word for “round” or “round about”.

14. Nobel Peace Prize winner Wiesel ELIE
Elie Wiesel is a holocaust survivor, best known for his book “Night” that tells of his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

15. U.S.-Canada defense letters 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.

17. Hard to find, to Caesar RARA
“Rara” is the Latin for “rare”.

18. __ Gay: WWII bomber ENOLA
The Enola Gay was the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in August 1945. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of pilot Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

19. Thom __ shoes MCAN
Thom McAn footwear was introduced in 1922 by the Melville Corporation (now CVS Caremark). The brand was named after a Scottish golfer called Thomas McCann. The Thom McAn line is epitomized by the comfortable leather casual and dress shoe, so sales have really been hurt in recent decades by the growing popularity of sneakers.

20. Original Ice Follies slapstick skating duo FRICK AND FRACK
Frick and Frack were two skaters from Basel in Switzerland who performed for many years with the original Ice Follies. “Frick” (Werner Goebel) took his name from a small village back in Switzerland, and “Frack” chose his name to suit Frack’s, with “frack” being a Swiss-German word for “frock coat”.

27. Three in a deck TREY
A trey of clubs, for example, is a name for the three of clubs in a deck of cards. The name “trey” can also be used for a domino with three pips.

32. Found really groovy DUG
The term “groovy” meaning “neat, cool” comes from the jazz slang phrase “in the groove”.

48. Knickknacky stuff BRIC-A-BRAC
Bric-a-brac is a French phrase (actually “bric-à-brac”) that was used as far back as the 16th century. Back then it was a nonsense term meaning “at random” or “any old way”. Since Victorian times we have used the phrase in English to mean a collection of curios, statues and the like. In modern usage, bric-a-brac tends to be a selection of cheaper items.

51. Bible bk. with a sea crossing EXOD
The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. The book describes the Israelites leaving their lives of slavery in Egypt with Moses as their leader. The book’s name comes from the Greek “exodos” meaning “going out”.

55. Opie Taylor’s caretaker AUNT BEE
Aunt Bee was a character in “The Andy Griffith Show”. The character’s full name was Beatrice Taylor but everyone in Mayberry called her “Aunt Bee”. In the storyline she was the aunt of the protagonist, Sheriff Andy Taylor, and great-aunt to Andy’s son Opie. Aunt Bee was played by actress Frances Bavier.

64. 11th-century Spanish hero EL CID
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar was known as El Cid Campeador, which translates as “The Champion” or perhaps “The Lord, Master of Military Arts”. El Cid was a soldier who fought under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Spain (among others). However, he was sent into exile by the King in 1080, after acting beyond his authorization in battle. El Cid then offered his services to his former foes, the Moorish kings, After a number of years building a reputation with the Moors, he was recalled from exile by Alfonso. By this time El Cid was very much his own man. Nominally under the orders of Alfonso, he led a combined army of Spanish and Moorish troops and took the city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast, making it is headquarters and home. He died there, quite peacefully in 1099.

67. It divides the Left and Right Banks SEINE
The famous “Left Bank” (“La Rive Gauche”) of the River Seine in Paris is the river’s southern bank. The area south of the river was traditionally quite bohemian and was home to artists, students and intellectuals.

The “Right Bank” (“La Rive Droite”) of the river Seine in Paris was historically more affluent than the colorful Left Bank. The most famous street on the Right Bank is the elegant “Champs-Élysées”.

68. Pal at the barbie MATE
In Australian English, one might chat with a pal (mate) at a barbecue (barbie).

71. Being, to Ovid ESSE
“Esse” is the Latin for “to be”. “Sum” means “I am” and “erat” means “he, she was”.

The Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso is today known simply as Ovid. Ovid is usually listed alongside the two other great Roman poets: Horace and Virgil.

Down
1. Feudal farmers SERFS
A serf was a member of the lowest feudal class, someone attached to land owned by a lord. “Serf” comes from the Latin “servus”, meaning “slave”.

2. Red wine from Bordeaux CLARET
“Clairet” is a dark rosé wine. Although it is uncommon today, clairet used to be the most common wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. For centuries now, English consumers have used the derivative term “claret” to describe all red wine from Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is perhaps the wine producing capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. After the German’s took France, the capital was famously moved to Vichy.

6. 14-line verse SONNET
A sonnet is a short poem with varying rhyming schemes but always with 14 lines. The sonnet form has been around at least since the 13th century. The Shakespearean sonnet is composed of three quatrains (4 lines) and a final couplet (2 lines).

9. Purim month ADAR
Adar is a month in the Hebrew calendar.

Purim is a festival commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to wipe them out by Haman the Agagite, as recorded in the Book of Esther. During the celebration of Purim, the Book of Esther (or Megillah) is read aloud, once in the evening and once the following morning. By the way, Esther is the only book in the Old Testament that doesn’t mention the word “God”.

13. Raggedy doll ANN
Raggedy Ann is a rag doll, created by Johnny Gruelle in 1915 for his daughter, Marcella. He decided to name the doll by combining the titles of two poems by James Whitcomb Riley, “The Raggedy Man” and “Little Orphan Annie”. Gruelle introduced Raggedy Ann in a series of books three years later. Sadly, Marcella died at 13 years of age with her father blaming a smallpox vaccination she was given at school. Gruelle became very active in the movement against mass vaccination, for which Raggedy Ann became a symbol.

25. Prefix with legal PARA-
A paralegal is someone who is trained in legal matters sufficiently to assist a lawyer. A paralegal cannot engage in the practice of law and must be supervised by a qualified lawyer.

29. Bucky Beaver’s toothpaste brand IPANA
Ipana toothpaste was introduced in 1915 and was at the height of its popularity in the forties and fifties. Sales declined in the sixties and the product was withdrawn from the US market in the seventies. Bucky the Beaver was the “spokesman” for Ipana. Bucky the Beaver’s slogan was “Brusha… Brusha… Brusha. Get the New Ipana – it’s dandy for your teeth!”

33. Bee Gees family name GIBB
The Brothers Gibb (hence, the name “The Bee Gees”) were born in England but grew up and started their musical careers in Australia. They moved back to Manchester in the north of England as youths, and there hit the big time.

36. “Dragnet” star Jack WEBB
Jack Webb played Sergeant Joe Friday on “Dragnet” on both TV and radio … and what a voice he had! Off the screen Webb was a lover of jazz, and he played the cornet. It was within the world of jazz that he met and fell in love with Julie London, the famous singer with “the smoky voice”. The couple married and had two kids together.

“Dragnet” was a very successful police drama that developed into quite a franchise. The show started out on radio in 1949, and then also ran on television from 1952. There were even a couple of movies. Star of the show, and the producer, was Jack Webb who played Sgt. Joe Friday.

37. Gillette razor brand ATRA
Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

44. Like the “A” in a Hawthorne classic SCARLET
Hester Prynne is the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter”. When Hester is convicted by her puritanical neighbors of the crime of adultery, she is forced to wear a scarlet “A” (for “adultery”) on her clothing for the rest of her life, hence the novel’s title, “The Scarlet Letter”.

49. “Sting like a bee” boxer ALI
Muhammad Ali first used his famous catchphrase “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” before his world title fight against Sonny Liston in 1964. Back then Ali still went by his birth name of Cassius Clay.

52. White House family OBAMAS
By tradition, the Secret Service code names used for the US President and family all start with the same letter. For the current First Family, that letter is R:

– Barack Obama: Renegade
– Michelle Obama: Renaissance
– Malia Obama: Radiance
– Sasha Obama: Rosebud

57. Cosmetician Lauder ESTEE
Estée Lauder was quite the successful businesswoman, with a reputation as a great salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

59. Spanish kiss BESO
In Spanish, signs of love (amor) might be kisses (besos).

60. Iditarod transport SLED
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers a massive 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. The fastest finishing time was set in 2002 at just under 9 days. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Injury reminder SCAR
5. Pet adoption gp. ASPCA
10. Environs AREA
14. Nobel Peace Prize winner Wiesel ELIE
15. U.S.-Canada defense letters NORAD
16. Having a hard time deciding TORN
17. Hard to find, to Caesar RARA
18. __ Gay: WWII bomber ENOLA
19. Thom __ shoes MCAN
20. Original Ice Follies slapstick skating duo FRICK AND FRACK
23. “Just one darn minute!” SEE HERE!
24. Amazed reactions GASPS
27. Three in a deck TREY
28. Retaliatory equivalent TIT FOR TAT
32. Found really groovy DUG
34. Bud PAL
35. Challenge DARE
36. Part of WWII WAR
39. Happy heartbeat sound PIT-A-PAT
42. Like veggies on a veggie platter RAW
43. Expected landing hrs. ETAS
45. Prohibition BAN
46. Opposite of post- PRE-
48. Knickknacky stuff BRIC-A-BRAC
51. Bible bk. with a sea crossing EXOD
54. Trite BANAL
55. Opie Taylor’s caretaker AUNT BEE
58. Small, irregular amounts DRIBS AND DRABS
62. List-ending abbr. ET AL
64. 11th-century Spanish hero EL CID
65. Give off EMIT
66. Lo-cal LITE
67. It divides the Left and Right Banks SEINE
68. Pal at the barbie MATE
69. Run into MEET
70. More quirky ODDER
71. Being, to Ovid ESSE

Down
1. Feudal farmers SERFS
2. Red wine from Bordeaux CLARET
3. Better ventilated AIRIER
4. Got through to REACHED
5. Lend __: listen AN EAR
6. 14-line verse SONNET
7. Cattle poker PROD
8. Ranch newborn CALF
9. Purim month ADAR
10. Use of one requires a PIN ATM CARD
11. Groupie’s idol ROCK STAR
12. Significant period ERA
13. Raggedy doll ANN
21. Make excited KEY UP
22. Gone by AGO
25. Prefix with legal PARA-
26. Ladled-out meal STEW
29. Bucky Beaver’s toothpaste brand IPANA
30. Pub spigot TAP
31. Envelope part FLAP
33. Bee Gees family name GIBB
36. “Dragnet” star Jack WEBB
37. Gillette razor brand ATRA
38. Bad weather contingency RAIN DATE
40. Paving goo TAR
41. Sales manager’s concern TREND
44. Like the “A” in a Hawthorne classic SCARLET
47. At the outer edges of the normal curve EXTREME
49. “Sting like a bee” boxer ALI
50. Bloodhound or boxer CANINE
52. White House family OBAMAS
53. Ledger entries DEBITS
56. 8-Down’s milk source UDDER
57. Cosmetician Lauder ESTEE
59. Spanish kiss BESO
60. Iditarod transport SLED
61. Battery fluid ACID
62. Good name for a tree-lined street ELM
63. Dead heat TIE

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3 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 24 Mar 14, Monday”

  1. Hello Bill, and friends,

    Nice puzzle by Marti Carpenter today. Fairly easy, appropriate for a Monday. The theme or themes were fairly easy to spot …. all in all, very enjoyable. Since Ms. Carpenter is also a medical equipment exporter, to Europe … there was a requisite medical clue …. pit a pat.

    Talking about hearts, … I just found out, this past weekend, that my cardiologist had a heart attack, an A M I, about 10 days ago, and his heat apparently stopped for 20 seconds, and he had to be paddled, jolted back into synch.

    Now, he is in the ICU at a local hospital.

    Tells you, …. nobody gets an exemption, or a free, "get out of jail" card ….. At least, he must have recognized all the symptoms. I sent him a card in sympathy and best wishes.

    Have a nice day, all.

  2. Happy Monday Bill et al –

    I've been on vacation the last 10 days so my brain was only working about half speed this morning. I managed to finish…somehow.

    I was a huge Dragnet fan back when it was on tv regularly. Jack Webb was born for that role.

    If anyone is interested, Webb did a hilarious bit with Johnny Carson back in 1968 ( I think) that is still one of the most popular Tonight Show skits of all time. You can Google Copper Clapper Caper if you want to see it.

    Best to all –

  3. @Vidwan
    I am sorry to hear about your cardiologist. It reminds me of a scare that we had a few short weeks ago where our own son had to get his heart jolted back into sync. A terrifying few days, but now he is back to normal. Hopefully the same will be true soon for your doctor.

    @Jeff
    Welcome back from vacation. That Johnny Carson clip is great, thank you for pointing us to it. Carson had such great comic timing, and was at his best in front of an audience.

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