LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Mar 14, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Pancho Harrison
THEME: The Secret Garden … each of today’s themed answers includes the hidden word EDEN:

17A. Specific gravity RELATIVE DENSITY
29A. Publicly traded investment company with a limited number of shares CLOSED-END FUND
45A. Mad man? ALFRED E NEUMAN

58A. Classic children’s novel, and what to look for in this puzzle’s three other longest answers THE SECRET GARDEN

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 8m 26s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Gp. co-founded by Victor Herbert ASCAP
ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) collects licence fees for musicians and distributes royalties to composers whose works have been performed. BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) provides the same service.

Victor Herbert was a composer, cellist and conductor who is known for several successful operettas that played on Broadway at the turn of the century and up to WWI. Examples of his operettas are “Babes in Toyland” (1903) and “Naughty Marietta” (1910).

10. Harbinger OMEN
A harbinger is a person or a thing that indicates what is to come. The word comes from the Middle English “herbenger”, a person sent ahead to arrange lodgings.

14. Cheri of “Scary Movie” OTERI
Cheri Oteri was the SNL cast member who regularly appeared with Will Farrell in the skit featuring a pair of Spartan cheerleaders.

“Scary Movie” is one of those parody movies, a film released in 2000 that pokes fun at famous horror films. It was advertised with the tagline “No mercy. No shame. No sequel”. The “no sequel” reference was a parody in itself, making fun of the fact that slasher movies in particular were made into strings of sequels. But there was in fact to be a sequel to “Scary Movie”, in fact three of them with one more on the way. “Scary Movie 2” came out in 2001, with the tagline “We lied”.

15. “… __ the dreadful thunder / Doth rend the region”: “Hamlet” ANON
“Anon” originally meant “at once” and evolved into today’s meaning of “soon” apparently just because the word was misused over time.

16. Gossipy Barrett RONA
Rona Barrett is a gossip columnist originally from New York City but who plies her trade in Southern California. Barrett started out as with a gossip column that was syndicated in newspapers but then made a successful transition to television. She made regular appearances in news broadcasts and on her entertainment shows in the sixties and seventies.

17. Specific gravity RELATIVE DENSITY
The specific gravity of a substance is the ratio of the substance’s density to the density of a reference material. The specific gravity of a liquid is measured with reference to the density of water, and the specific gravity of a gas is measured with reference to the density of air. One example of the use of the specific gravity measurement is when brewing beer. Brewers monitor the change in the specific gravity of beer while it is fermenting, as the beer’s density changes as fermentation produces more and more alcohol.

20. Vietnamese observance TET
The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is Tet Nguyen Dan, meaning “Feast of the First Morning”. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

22. Vintage cars REOS
The REO Motor Company was founded by Ransom E. Olds (hence the name REO). The company made cars, trucks and buses, and was in business from 1905 to 1975, in Lansing, Michigan.

23. Onetime Kenny G label ARISTA
Arista Records was set up as part of Columbia Pictures by one Clive Davis. Davis chose “Arista” as it was the name of the New York City Honor Society to which he belonged.

Saxophonist Kenny G’s full name is Kenneth Bruce Gorelick. Kenny’s “G” might also stand for “golfer”, as in 2006 he was ranked by “Golf Digest” magazine as the number one golfer working in the field of music.

25. Play with robots RUR
Karel Čapek was a Czech writer noted for his works of science fiction. Čapek’s 1920 play “R.U.R.” is remembered in part for introducing the world to the word “robot”. The words “automaton” and “android” were already in use, but Capek gave us “robot” from the original Czech “robota” meaning “forced labor”. The acronym “R.U.R.”, in the context of the play, stands for “Rossum’s Universal Robots”.

26. Linebacker Manti __, 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist TE’O
Manti Te’o is college football player who has been in the news a lot lately. Te’o was noted for playing particularly well after the death of his grandmother and girlfriend. It turned out that his relationship with the “girlfriend” was an online affair and a hoax. A make acquaintance of Te’o had posed as a girl and lured him into a relationship. Wanting to put an end to the deception, the hoaxer “killed off” the girlfriend by “giving” her leukemia.

33. Wagner works OPERAS
Richard Wagner was born in the Jewish quarter of Leipzig in 1813. Decades later, Wagner became known not only for writing magnificent music, but for his anti-semitic views and writings.

38. Dove competitor CAMAY
Camay is a brand of soap produced by Procter & Gamble since 1926. Camay was introduced as a “white, pure soap for women”.

40. Slangy turnarounds UEYS
U-turn (uey)

41. Settings for Manet CAFES
Édouard Manet was a French painter whose works are mainly classified as Realist. Manet was friends with Impressionists masters like Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and greatly influenced the Impressionist movement. The list of Manet’s marvelous paintings includes “Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe”, “Le Repose” and “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère”.

45. Mad man? ALFRED E NEUMAN
Alfred E. Neuman is the mascot of “Mad” magazine, although the image of the smiling, jug-eared youth had been around for decades before the magazine. “Mad” first used the likeness in 1955, and young Mr. Neuman has appeared on the cover of almost every issue of the magazine since then. Neuman’s name was inspired by American composer Alfred Newman, a prolific writer of film scores.

48. Agnus __ DEI
“Agnus Dei” is Latin for “Lamb of God”, a term used in Christian faiths for Jesus Christ, symbolizing His role as a sacrificial offering to atone for the sins of man.

53. 1977 medical novel COMA
Robin Cook is novelist from New York who writes thrillers dealing with medical situations. Cook’s first major novel “Coma” was made into a 1978 feature film directed by Michael Crichton and starring Geneviève Bujold and Michael Douglas. Cook is himself a physician and is currently on leave with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

55. Time of jour SOIR
In French, one time of day (jour) is the evening (soir).

58. Classic children’s novel, and what to look for in this puzzle’s three other longest answers THE SECRET GARDEN
“The Secret Garden” is a children’s novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in serial form in 1910, and then as a complete book in 1911. The story is so popular that it has been adapted on more than one occasion for the stage, big screen, and television, and there are also numerous animated productions as well.

62. __ of Sandwich EARL
Meats placed between slices of bread was first called a sandwich in the 18th century, named after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. The Earl was fond of eating “sandwiches” while playing cards at his club.

Down
1. Angiogram image AORTA
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

An angiogram is an x-ray (usually) image taken of the circulatory system, often enhanced by the introduction of a radio-opaque “dye” into the bloodstream.

3. Irish musical ensemble __ Woman CELTIC
Celtic Woman is a musical group consisting of five Irish singers, one of whom plays the fiddle. The actual lineup of performers has changed over the years. The group was pulled together to cash in on the success of stage shows like “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance”, as well as the international reputation of female Irish singers such as Enya and Moire Brennan.

4. Altar constellation ARA
The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for “altar”.

6. __ lamp LAVA
The lava lamp was invented in 1960 by a British man, Edward Craven-Walker. The “lava” is a mixture of wax and carbon tetrachloride, floating in a water/glycerol mix. The wax reduces in density as it picks up heat from the incandescent bulb in the lamp’s base. The wax rises, cools, and then sinks to the bottom of the liquid only to be heated again.

7. Universal donor’s type, briefly O-NEG
The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a “universal donor”.

9. Successful squeeze play result ONE RUN
In baseball, a squeeze play is one in which a batter bunts the ball expecting to be thrown out at first, but gives a runner at third base a chance to score. In a safety squeeze the runner at third waits to see where the bunt is going before heading for home. In a suicide squeeze, the runner heads home as soon as the pitcher throws the ball.

12. Forest friend of Frodo ENT
Ents are those tree-like creatures that live in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth in his series of books “The Lord of the Rings”. “Ent” is an Old English word for “giant”.

Frodo Baggins is a principal character in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. Frodo is a Hobbit, and was charged with the quest of destroying Sauron’s Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.

25. Goodwill store transaction RESALE
Goodwill Industries is a non-profit organization focused on providing aid to people in the community. Goodwill is funded by thrift stores located right across North America. The organization has its roots in an urban outreach program of the Morgan methodist Chapel in Boston, Massachusetts that started operations in 1902. That program involved the collection of discarded household goods and clothing, and the repair of the items so that they could be distributed to the needy.

27. Green condition? ENVY
William Shakespeare was one of the first to associate the color green with envy. He called jealousy the “green-eyed monster” in his play, “Othello”.

31. “Behind the Candelabra” co-star DAMON
Matt Damon is an actor and screenwriter from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Damon’s big break came with the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting” in which he starred. He co-wrote the screenplay with his childhood friend Ben Affleck.

“Behind the Candelabra” is a 2013 film that covers the last ten years of the life of Liberace. Michael Douglas plays the celebrated pianist and Matt Damon plays Liberace’s lover Scott Thorson. The film is actually based on a 1988 memoir written by Thorson called “Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace”.

32. Like the Middle Ages FEUDAL
Feudalism was a legal and military system that flourished in medieval Europe. Central to the system were the concepts of lords, vassals and fiefs. Lords would grant fiefs (land or rights) to vassals in exchange for allegiance and service.

European history is often divided in three major periods: classical antiquity and the modern period, with the Middle Ages in between. Specifically, the Middle Ages are said to have begun in 476 AD, when the last Roman Emperor was deposed by a Germanic chieftain. The end date for the Middle Ages is less specific, but is about 1500 AD. The list of events signalling the end of the Middle Ages includes Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the New World (1492) and the Protestant Reformation (1517). The term “medieval” is used to describe something belonging to the Middle Ages.

35. Large quantity SCAD
The origin of the word “scads”, meaning “lots and lots”, is unclear, although back in the mid-1800s “scads” was used to mean “dollars”.

42. Note next to a red F, maybe SEE ME
A teacher might write a note to a student “see me”, on a paper that is graded “F”.

44. Green shade EMERALD
The mineral beryl is a source of a number of different, semi-precious stones, depending on the nature of the impurities present. Pure beryl is colorless; blue beryl is called aquamarine, and green beryl is emerald. The source of the green color is mainly chromium.

51. “Rockin’ Robin” chorus word TWEET
1995’s “Rockin’ Robin” was the only number-one hit for rock and roll singer Bobby Day. The song was famously covered by Michael Jackson in 1972.

54. Peace Prize city OSLO
The Peace Prize is the most famous of the five prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel. The others are for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. There is also a Nobel Prize in Economics that is awarded along with the original five, but it is funded separately and is awarded “in memory of Alfred Nobel”. Four of the prizes are awarded by Swedish organizations (Alfred Nobel was a Swede) and so the award ceremonies take place in Stockholm. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and that award is presented in Oslo.

56. Platte River tribe OTOE
The Platte River used to be called the Nebrakier, which is an Oto word meaning “flat river”. Indeed, the state of Nebraska takes its name from “Nebrakier”. For a while it was also called the River Plate as “plate” is the French word “flat”. Later this became “Platte”, the phonetic spelling of the French “plate”.

59. Kubrick’s out-of-control computer HAL
In Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” (famously adapted for the big screen as “2001: A Space Odyssey”) the computer system that went rogue was called HAL 9000, or simply “HAL”. HAL stands for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer.

60. Sigma preceder RHO
Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”.

61. 2016 Olympics host RIO
Even though the 2016 Olympic Games is a “summer” competition, it will be held in Rio de Janeiro in the winter. As Rio is in the southern hemisphere, the planned date of the opening of 5th August 2016 falls in the local season of winter. The 2016 games will also be first to be held in South America, and the first to be hosted by a Portuguese-speaking country.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Gp. co-founded by Victor Herbert ASCAP
6. Bonkers LOCO
10. Harbinger OMEN
14. Cheri of “Scary Movie” OTERI
15. “… __ the dreadful thunder / Doth rend the region”: “Hamlet” ANON
16. Gossipy Barrett RONA
17. Specific gravity RELATIVE DENSITY
20. Vietnamese observance TET
21. Hitch SNAG
22. Vintage cars REOS
23. Onetime Kenny G label ARISTA
25. Play with robots RUR
26. Linebacker Manti __, 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist TE’O
29. Publicly traded investment company with a limited number of shares CLOSED-END FUND
33. Wagner works OPERAS
34. Do a hitch in the military SERVE
35. Put away STOW
38. Dove competitor CAMAY
40. Slangy turnarounds UEYS
41. Settings for Manet CAFES
43. Finished a flight-training requirement SOLOED
45. Mad man? ALFRED E NEUMAN
48. Agnus __ DEI
49. Auction ending? -EER
50. Take out DELETE
53. 1977 medical novel COMA
55. Time of jour SOIR
57. Baa maid? EWE
58. Classic children’s novel, and what to look for in this puzzle’s three other longest answers THE SECRET GARDEN
62. __ of Sandwich EARL
63. “This can’t be happening!” OH NO!
64. Script parts LINES
65. Additionally ALSO
66. E or G, e.g. NOTE
67. A bit daft DOTTY

Down
1. Angiogram image AORTA
2. Take the helm STEER
3. Irish musical ensemble __ Woman CELTIC
4. Altar constellation ARA
5. Road trip refresher PIT STOP
6. __ lamp LAVA
7. Universal donor’s type, briefly O-NEG
8. Food fish COD
9. Successful squeeze play result ONE RUN
10. “… __ they say” OR SO
11. What humidity measures MOISTURE
12. Forest friend of Frodo ENT
13. Dissenting vote NAY
18. “Hold your horses, I’m coming” IN A SEC
19. Unhip types NERDS
24. Like right-lane traffic, usually SLOWER
25. Goodwill store transaction RESALE
27. Green condition? ENVY
28. Laudatory verses ODES
30. Helpful tip for a puzzle solver? ERASER
31. “Behind the Candelabra” co-star DAMON
32. Like the Middle Ages FEUDAL
35. Large quantity SCAD
36. Account TALE
37. Company bigwigs OFFICERS
39. “Get it, daddy-o?” YOU DIG?
42. Note next to a red F, maybe SEE ME
44. Green shade EMERALD
46. Church VIP DEACON
47. “You __ worry” NEEDN’T
51. “Rockin’ Robin” chorus word TWEET
52. Itty EENSY
54. Peace Prize city OSLO
55. On its way SENT
56. Platte River tribe OTOE
58. Leaves in a bag TEA
59. Kubrick’s out-of-control computer HAL
60. Sigma preceder RHO
61. 2016 Olympics host RIO

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8 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Mar 14, Thursday”

  1. Hello Bill, and friends,

    One of the easiest Thursdays, I have seen in a long time. I got the first 2 long acrosses without a single clue … Relative Density and Closed End Fund. Both are the actual definitions !!

    In the MKS ( Metre-Kilogram-Sec) system ….Specific Gravity and (relative – ) Density have the same numerical value because the density of water is, by definition, one gram per cc … hence a ratio to one… so for a long time, during my schooldays, I thought SG and RD were synonymous…

    Some densities/specific gravities of common elements …. Iron- 7.7 , Copper- 8.8, Silver- 10.5, Lead- 11.4, Mercury- 13.6

    Gold- 19.3 -famously, same as Tungsten !!… If Tungsten had been discovered in the ancient ages, this element would have fooled and perhaps messed up Archimedes' principle …

    Platinum- 21,5 and the heaviest elements Osmium and Iridium at 21.7 to 22.6. I have Osmium and Iridium samples – but in quantities too small to judge their density, by merely holding them in your hand.

    The puzzle theme totally eluded me. I was looking for flowers, in the answers, and never saw any…

    I would like to correct a comment I made yesterday, on Orange Pekoe.(tea). I was wrong – the grade of the tea called Orange Pekoe has nothing to do with the flavor of the Orange – though Earl Grey tea is apparently flavored with the rind grindings of the Bergamot orange. My apologies.

    Have a nice day, all.

  2. Nice puzzle.

    Very recently I read the original Secret Garden by Frances Burnet.
    It was very compelling, though I rolled my eyes when Colin brought all his animal friends into the mansion for a visit. Kept imagining the mess. Also, the girl's parents and servants in India died of cholera, not an earthquake, as the movie would have it.

  3. Hello Bill et al –

    I was hoping for a Julian Lim or Gareth Bain puzzle to get Pookie back in the spirit again, but no such luck. I guess they are Friday/Saturday setters.

    The Russian word "robota" simply means work as in any kind of work or job. I did not realize that the Czech connotation is that of "forced work". Nor did I ever make the connection between that word and our word "robot" despite having studied Russian for years.

    I heard an apocryphal story about HAL of also being a play on IBM as the letters following H-A-L in the alphabet are, indeed, I-B-M. I like to believe this is true because 1) I used to work for that company, and 2) It's much more fun to believe it's true! 🙂

    Best –

  4. @Vidwan
    Yes, I zipped through this puzzle in fairly record time too, although my "quick" long answer was ALFRED E NEUMAN. I was hoping that the story about the orange tree amid the tea plants was true. It's just the kind of trivial information that my brain loves to store. Ah well 🙂

    @Sfingo
    Funnily enough, I was watching a show while solving a crossword last night in which a couple in South Africa had a pet hippopotamus that wandered in and out of their house. Trust me, I had the same thought about the potential mess!

    @Jeff
    I while back I read that HAL was named something different in the French release of the movie, so I just checked and found this:

    In the French-language version of 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL's name is given as "CARL", for Cerveau Analytique de Recherche et de Liaison (Analytic Research and Communication Brain)

    Another of my favorite acronym "changes" is OTAN, which is NATO in French.

  5. Hi Bill, Vidwan, Sfingi, Jeff, Addict and Piano Man.
    Bill, thanks for the kind words yesterday. Reported for jury duty at an ungodly hour (for me) and was really glad I had two papers to do 2 crosswords. This one was interesting and I did spot EDEN.
    Jeff, Julian Lim and Gareth are my two least understandable constructors. I guess you were kidding about them getting me back in the spirit! 🙂
    Even found a magazine that had a crossword puzzle. About halfway through I was DISMISSED! Yaay!
    My, what an intelligent group we have here! Smart cookies.
    And what is a smart cookie, anyway?

  6. Bill, thanks for your comments ( to our comments – ).

    While Orange Pekoe is a grade designation … the top bud leaf, plus two small leaves, on either side …. I still believe that the fact that tea plants absorb odors of other highly fragrant trees is definitely on a firm scientific basis. I know for sure, having visited a tea estate, myself, that immense care is taken to cut down all fragrant trees – eucalyptus, clove, camphor, sandalwood etc – in the immediate vicinity.

    HAL from IBM – here is the source decrying the possibility –
    Link HAL Computer. Look for the paragraph, Origin of the Name …

    Again, very interesting coincidence and fascinating tale, but ….

    Pookie, my lawyer friend, who tries criminal cases tells me … the easiest way for a juror to get 'dismissed', is to pretend they're highly educated, very smart and knowledgeable about the law. Defense lawyers in criminal cases, and plaintiffs in civil suits, …. need 'dumbos', on the jury pool, to win their cases.

  7. Vidwan, it would be a stretch for me to pretend I know anything about law.I was just happy that I wasn't picked to be interviewed for a jury.
    The last time I was interviewed, I already had an impression of the accused.. he looked like a punk in a bad suit and ashen-faced. One other time a guy showed up with an arm sling and a neck brace. You would not want me for a juror, night court maybe, but not first thing in the morning.

  8. @Pookie
    Congrats on doing your civic duty (and getting off early!). We have a friend locally who ended up in a murder case that took over her life for a while. But, her reward was being excused jury duty for the rest of her life.

    @Vidwan
    I can certainly imagine that tea plants could absorb chemicals that impart flavor from surrounding trees and shrubs. Said he, sipping on his imported Bewley's Irish Special Blend tea …

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