LA Times Crossword Answers 3 Apr 14, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel
THEME: Advancing the Runner … we have a baseball diamond in todays’ grid, made from the circled letters. The sides of the diamond spell out four ways that THE RUNNER might ADVANCE in a game:

– ERROR
– HOMER
– BLOOP
– STEAL

32A. With 37-Across, what the circled words (shown in the appropriate direction) are capable of doing ADVANCING
37A. See 32-Across THE RUNNER

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 12m 13s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 3 … -MARM (-yard!!!), POMACE (poyace), MLXI (DLXI …!!!)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

13. Nielsen of “Airplane!” LESLIE
Leslie Nielsen was a Canadian actor, famous for playing the zany Sergeant Frank Drebin in “The Naked Gun”. Nielsen’s big break in films came in the innovative comedy “Airplane!”

14. Purple Label designer LAUREN
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer, born Ralph Liftshitz in the Bronx, New York. Lauren started off working as a salesman for Brooks Brothers after spending two years in the US Army. He then opened a necktie store, featuring his own tie designs. The ties were sold under the name “Polo”, which became Lauren’s most famous brand. Other Lauren brands are Purple Label and Black Label.

17. Olfactory detection ODOR
The adjective “olfactory” means “relating to the sense of smell”. The term comes from the Latin verb “olfacere” meaning “to get the smell of”.

22. Spanish pronoun ESTA
In Spanish, the other (otra) is neither this (esta) nor that (esa).

23. Vintage auto REO
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. Among the company’s most famous models were the REO Royale and the REO Flying Cloud.

26. Dress nattily, with “up” TOG
The verb “tog”, meaning to dress up, comes from the Latin “toga”, the garment worn in Ancient Rome. “Tog” can be use as an informal word for a coat or a cloak. Back in Ireland, togs are what we call swimming shorts.

27. Wrinkle-resistant synthetic ORLON
Orlon is the brand name used by the DuPont Corporation for the acrylic fibers the company developed in 1941.

35. Poker variety STUD
Stud poker is the name given to many variants of poker, all characterized by the dealer giving each player a mix of cards face-down and face-up. The cards facing downwards are called “hole cards”, cards only visible to the individual who holds that particular hand. This gives rise to the phrase “ace in the hole”, a valuable holding that only the player with the ace is aware of.

36. Golfer Isao AOKI
Isao Aoki is one of Japan’s greatest golfers, now playing on the senior circuit. Aoki’s best finish in a major tournament was runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 US Open.

47. LBJ’s antipoverty agcy. OEO
The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was created during the Lyndon Johnson administration. The agency was responsible for administering the War on Poverty programs that were part of the President Johnson’s Great Society agenda. The OEO was shut down by President Nixon, although some of the office’s programs were transferred to other agencies. A few of the OEO’s programs are still around today, like Head Start for example.

48. Sierra __ NEVADAS
The American Sierra Nevada range lies in California and Nevada. The Spanish Sierra Nevada range is in Andalusia, with the name meaning “snowy range” in Spanish.

51. “Papa-__-Mow-Mow”: 1962 novelty hit OOM
“Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” is a novelty doo-wop song released by the Rivingtons in 1962.

52. Suffix with school -MARM
“Marm” is short for “schoolmarm”, a quaint term for a female teacher.

54. Former “The View” co-host BEHAR
Joy Behar is a comedian, and former co-host of the hit talk show “The View”.

“The View” is a talk show that was created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie in 1997. The show features a panel of five women as co-hosts.

55. Conglomeration OLIO
Olio is a term meaning a hodgepodge or a mixture, coming from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew in turn takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the clay pot used for cooking.

56. ’30s-’50s British Labour Party leader ATTLEE
Clement Attlee served as leader of Britain’s Labour Party and as Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition government during the war years under the leadership of Winston Churchill, a Conservative. Attlee swept into power right after WWII in a landslide victory over Churchill and was responsible for major changes not only in Britain but around the waning British Empire. It was under Attlee that former British colonies like India, Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and Jordan became independent. Also, the Palestine Mandate was terminated in 1948, while he was in office, with the state of Israel being declared the very next day.

61. Property recipient, in law BAILEE
A “bailee” is someone to whom property is bailed. The act of bailing is the transfer of property from one person to another for a particular purpose, but not permanently.

Down
1. Prefix with scope FLUORO-
A fluoroscope is a medical imaging machine that uses X-rays to examine structures in the body that are in movement. The image is viewed on a screen that fluoresces in the presence of X-rays, hence the name.

5. Cocktail with cassis KIR
Kir is a French cocktail, made by adding a teaspoon or so of creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) to a glass, and then topping it off with white wine. The drink is named after Felix Kir, the Mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, who used to offer the drink to his guests. My wife (expensive tastes!) is particularly fond of a variant called a Kir Royale, in which the white wine is replaced with champagne.

6. Baseball commissioner under whom interleague play became a reality SELIG
Bud Selig is the current commissioner of Major League Baseball. Selig became acting commissioner in 1992 after the resignation of Fay Vincent. The team owners searched for a new commissioner for six years, and finally gave the permanent job to Selig in 1998. Selig has announced that he plans to retire from the post in January 2015.

8. Pilot-licensing org. FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was set up in 1958 (as the Federal Aviation Agency). The agency was established at that particular time largely in response to an increasing number of midair collisions. The worst of these disasters had taken place two years earlier over the Grand Canyon, a crash between two commercial passenger airplanes that resulted in 128 fatalities.

9. Red herring RUSE
The exact origin of the term “red herring”, meaning “something that misleads”, isn’t known. The most common explanation for the use of the phrase is that kippers (strong-smelling smoked herrings) were used to by fugitives to distract bloodhounds who were on their trail. Kippers become red-colored during the smoking process, and are no longer “white herrings”.

11. “Stay Fresh” candy MENTOS
Mentos are mints made by the Italian confectioner Perfetti Van Melle. You might have seen video of Mentos mints being dropped into bottle containing a carbonated drink. The surface of the mint causes an explosive release of carbon dioxide resulting in a geyser of foam that can shoot many feet up into the air.

20. Joie de vivre ELAN
Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e “style” or “flair”.

“Joie de vivre” means “joy of living” in French. We use the phrase to mean the happy, carefree enjoyment of life, like when we finish our crossword puzzles …

21. Carrier with a Maple Leaf Lounge AIR CANADA
Air Canada is the largest airline in Canada, and the ninth largest in the world in terms of passengers carried. The airline was founded in 1936 as Trans-Canada Air Lines.

25. Ones getting lots of Bronx cheers YANKEES
The New York Yankees baseball team has the nickname “the Bronx Bombers”. The nickname reflects where the team plays (the Bronx) and the team’s reputation for hitting (bombers).

28. Hops driers OASTS
An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. It might also be called an “oast house”.

31. Speakeasy employee B-GIRL
Bargirl (B-girl)

A speakeasy is an establishment that sells alcoholic drinks illegally. Speakeasies were very big in the US in the days of Prohibition. The obvious etymology, of a speakeasy owner asking his or her customers to “speak easy” so as not to draw attention to the authorities, is thought to have originated in 1888 in McKeesport just outside Pittsburgh.

33. Saturn SUV VUE
Saturn was a brand of car introduced by General Motors in 1985 in response to the success of Japanese imports in North America. Saturn cars were built by a subsidiary of the company that operated relatively independently, with its own assembly plant in Tennessee and its own retailer network.

The term SUV, an acronym for Sports Utility Vehicle, was introduced by our marketing friends. Using the term Sports Utility Vehicle was a very clever way to get us to pay a lot of money for what was essentially a station wagon on a truck chassis, or at least it was back then.

38. Bryce Canyon state UTAH
Bryce Canyon National Park is truly a beautiful part of America. The strange thing is that Bryce isn’t a canyon at all, but rather is a natural amphitheater created by erosion of sedimentary rocks that are part of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.

39. Cider press leftovers POMACE
Pomace (also called “marc”) is the solid material left after a fruit has been pressed to remove the juice. The pomace from grapes can be used to grappa and grape seed oil.

40. Patricia of “Everybody Loves Raymond” HEATON
Raymond’s wife on “Everybody Loves Raymond” is Debra Barone, played by Patricia Heaton. Before “Raymond”, Heaton had a few smaller television roles, but playing Debra was her big break. She followed up “Raymond” with “Back to You” with Kelsey Grammer, and is currently starring in the sitcom “The Middle”.

41. Of a blood line AORTAL
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

49. His last blog post ended, “I’ll see you at the movies” 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 critic 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.

50. Most Iraqis ARABS
Iraq is often called the “Cradle of Civilization” as it was home to Sumer, which was the earliest known civilization on the planet. By 5000 BC the Sumerian people were practicing year-round agriculture and had a specialized labor force. For the first time, a whole race were able to settle in one place by storing food, instead of having to migrate in a pattern dictated by crops and grazing land.

55. Eye, at the Louvre OEIL
“Oeil” is the French word for “eye”.

The Musée du Louvre has the distinction of being the most visited art museum in the whole world. The collection is housed in the magnificent Louvre Palace which used to be the seat of power in France, until 1682 when Louis XIV moved to Versailles.

57. Some RPI alums EES
Electrical engineer (EE)

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.

59. Mike Trout’s team, on scoreboards LAA
The Anaheim Angels are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim.

Mike Trout plays baseball for the Los Angeles Angels. Trout’s nickname is the “Millville Meteor”, as he grew up in Millville, New Jersey.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Lab shelfful FLASKS
7. Many a chalet A-FRAME
13. Nielsen of “Airplane!” LESLIE
14. Purple Label designer LAUREN
15. Open, as a fern frond UNCURL
16. Relieving EASING
17. Olfactory detection ODOR
18. Rumor starter I HEAR …
22. Spanish pronoun ESTA
23. Vintage auto REO
24. Ballerina’s asset AGILITY
26. Dress nattily, with “up” TOG
27. Wrinkle-resistant synthetic ORLON
29. Alternative to gravel, perhaps TAR
30. Humiliate ABASE
32. With 37-Across, what the circled words (shown in the appropriate direction) are capable of doing ADVANCING
35. Poker variety STUD
36. Golfer Isao AOKI
37. See 32-Across THE RUNNER
39. Part of a process PHASE
42. “Bartender, make __ double!” IT A
43. Tie the knot on the sly ELOPE
47. LBJ’s antipoverty agcy. OEO
48. Sierra __ NEVADAS
51. “Papa-__-Mow-Mow”: 1962 novelty hit OOM
52. Suffix with school -MARM
54. Former “The View” co-host BEHAR
55. Conglomeration OLIO
56. ’30s-’50s British Labour Party leader ATTLEE
58. 25-Down div. AL EAST
60. One on a ladder, to a kitten up a tree COAXER
61. Property recipient, in law BAILEE
62. Join up ENLIST
63. Garden sides SALADS

Down
1. Prefix with scope FLUORO-
2. Shark, maybe LENDER
3. Comparable to a cucumber AS COOL
4. Hurtful remark SLUR
5. Cocktail with cassis KIR
6. Baseball commissioner under whom interleague play became a reality SELIG
7. Wake-up call, say ALERT
8. Pilot-licensing org. FAA
9. Red herring RUSE
10. __ Nashville: country record label ARISTA
11. “Stay Fresh” candy MENTOS
12. Mesh, as gears ENGAGE
19. Tee off HIT A DRIVE
20. Joie de vivre ELAN
21. Carrier with a Maple Leaf Lounge AIR CANADA
24. “Here’s what happened next …” AND THEN …
25. Ones getting lots of Bronx cheers YANKEES
28. Hops driers OASTS
31. Speakeasy employee B-GIRL
33. Saturn SUV VUE
34. Physics class topic ION
38. Bryce Canyon state UTAH
39. Cider press leftovers POMACE
40. Patricia of “Everybody Loves Raymond” HEATON
41. Of a blood line AORTAL
44. “Va-va-voom!” OO LA LA!
45. Self-assured POISED
46. Gushes on a set EMOTES
49. His last blog post ended, “I’ll see you at the movies” EBERT
50. Most Iraqis ARABS
53. Mid-11th century year MLXI
55. Eye, at the Louvre OEIL
57. Some RPI alums EES
59. Mike Trout’s team, on scoreboards LAA

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