LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Jun 14, Tuesday

Share today’s solution with a friend:
FacebookTwitterGoogleEmail

CROSSWORD SETTER: C.C. Burnikel
THEME: Triathlon … today’s themed answers end with events in a triathlon, all in the correct order:

19A. Pool session for grown-ups ADULT SWIM
39A. Motorcycle designed for acrobatic maneuvers STUNT BIKE
58A. Baseball play that may be foiled by a pitchout HIT AND RUN

20D. Ironman event comprised of the last words of 19-, 39- and 58-Across TRIATHLON

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 5m 59s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Fish often dipped in wasabi SASHIMI
“Sashimi” is thinly sliced raw fish, although it can also be raw meat. The word “sashimi” translates literally as “pierced body”, which may be a reference to the practice of sticking the tail and fin to sliced fish to identify it.

Sometimes called Japanese horseradish, wasabi is a root used as a condiment in Japanese cooking. The taste of wasabi is more like mustard than a hot pepper in that the vapors that create the “hotness” stimulate the nasal passages rather than the tongue. Personally, I love the stuff …

8. Pasadena institute where most of “The Big Bang Theory” characters work CALTECH
Caltech is more properly known as the California Institute of Technology, and is a private research-oriented school in Pasadena. One of Caltech’s responsibilities is the management and operation of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If you watch “The Big Bang Theory” on television like me, you might know that the four lead characters all work at Caltech.

“The Big Bang Theory” is very clever sitcom aired by CBS since 2007. “The Big Bang Theory” theme song was specially commissioned for the show, and was composed and is sung by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. The theme song was released in 2007 as a single and is featured on a Barenaked Ladies greatest hits album.

17. Florida NASCAR city DAYTONA
The Daytona 500 is the event with the largest purse on the NASCAR calendar.

24. Land of the Incas PERU
Peru’s name comes from the word “Biru”. Back in the early 1500s, Biru was a ruler living near the Bay of San Miguel in Panama. The territory over which Biru ruled was the furthest land south in the Americas known to Europeans at that time. The Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro was the first European to move south of Biru’s empire and the land that he found was designated “Peru”, a derivative of “Biru”.

25. Hoops cable channel NBA TV
Basketball is truly an American sport. It was created in 1891 by a James Naismith at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. His goal was to create something active and interesting for his students in the gym. The first “hoops” were actually peach baskets, with the bottoms of the baskets intact. When a player got the ball into the “net”, someone had to clamber up and get the ball back out again in order to continue the game!

33. Aunt Bee’s charge OPIE
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.

34. Dishwasher cycle DRY
The first mechanical dishwasher to be described as practical and reliable was invented by Josephine Cochrane of Ohio. Cochrane didn’t wash dishes herself, as she had servants for that task, so the main purpose of her invention was not to save effort. Rather, she wanted a device that wash dishes without chipping them, something her household help was liable to do.

37. City with canals VENICE
The city of Venice in northeast Italy is built in a saltwater lagoon on the Adriatic Coast, on 117 small islands. The classic transportation along the waterways is the gondola, but this is really only used for tourists these days, as well as on ceremonial occasions. The locals rely on the motorized water-buses.

49. Post-shower powder TALC
Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch.

61. Double-crosser TRAITOR
Treason is a serious crime committed against the nation (or the sovereign). One who commits treason is called a traitor. In the past, the term treason also applied to lesser crimes (like a woman killing her husband) so there was a differentiation between high treason against the king, and “petit treason”, against a more common citizen.

Down
1. South, at the Sorbonne SUD
The Sorbonne is the name usually used for the old University of Paris, and some of the institutions that have succeeded it.

2. Org. for shrinks APA
American Psychiatric Organization (APA)

4. Malarkey HOT AIR
It’s not really known how the word “malarkey” came to mean “lies and exaggeration”, although “Malarkey” is also used as a family name.

5. Shuffle or nano IPOD
The iPod Shuffle was introduced in 2005 and is the smallest of Apple’s line of audio players. The Shuffle was the first iPod to use flash memory.

The iPod Nano is the successor to the iPod Mini and was introduced to the market at the end of 2005. There have been seven versions of the Nano to date and the current Nano as well as playing tunes is an FM player, records voice memos, has a pedometer and can connect with external devices (like a heart monitor, maybe) using Bluetooth technology.

7. “The Stepford Wives” novelist IRA LEVIN
As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also was a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels though are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.

“The Stepford Wives” is a 1972 novel by Ira Levin about a Connecticut community in which the husbands replace their wives with docile robots. There have been two film adaptations of the book, the first released in 1975 and starring Katherine Ross (my favorite). The second movie adaption, released in 2004, isn’t as good in my opinion, although although Bette Midler plays a great supporting role.

11. Glenn Miller’s instrument TROMBONE
Famously, Glenn Miller signed up with the US Air Force Band during World War II, and disappeared while flying from the South of England to entertain troops that had just liberated Paris. Miller is still listed as missing in action …

20. Ironman event comprised of the last words of 19-, 39- and 58-Across TRIATHLON
An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked to come up with the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finished first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

21. Passé OLD
“Passé” is a French word, meaning “past, faded”.

26. Bee: Pref. API-
“Apis” is the Latin word for “bee”. Apiculture is the raising and caring of bees.

30. Part of NIH: Abbr. NATL
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is made up of 27 different institutes that coordinate their research and services. Examples of member institutes are the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging.

39. Deep blue gem SAPPHIRE
Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum. Trace elements in the mineral determine the color and type of gemstone that can be produced from corundum. In the presence of chromium, the stone is red, and is called a ruby. Other trace elements result in blue, green or yellow sapphires. The blue color comes from the presence of titanium and iron.

54. Bishop’s hat MITER
A mitre is a traditional headdress worn by bishops in some Christian traditions. The name “mitre” comes from a Greek word for “headband, turban”.

56. “How to Build a Classic Golf Swing” author Els ERNIE
Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He has a child who suffers from autism and so Els has been very effective in raising money for charities that focus on the condition.

65. “Spaceballs” director Brooks MEL
Mel Brooks’ real name is Melvin Kaminsky. Brooks is one of very few entertainers (there are only ten) who has won the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam” i.e. an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy. He is in good company, as the list also includes the likes of Richard Rogers, Sir John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch and Audrey Hepburn.

“Spaceballs” is a 1987 spoof of sci-fi films, mainly poking fun at the “Star Trek” franchise. It was co-written and directed by, and indeed stars, Mel Brooks.

67. Cobra’s warning SSS!
Snake charmers don’t actually hypnotize their cobras, but they do train them. The snake is trained to “follow” the movement of end of the pungi, the instrument that the charmer uses in the act. The snake presents no danger to the charmer or the audience, as it is typically defanged or has it’s mouth partially stitched up so that only the tongue can be moved in and out. Not a very nice practice …

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. Fish often dipped in wasabi SASHIMI
8. Pasadena institute where most of “The Big Bang Theory” characters work CALTECH
15. Meeting expectations UP TO PAR
16. Late OVERDUE
17. Florida NASCAR city DAYTONA
18. “Absolutely!” NO DOUBT!
19. Pool session for grown-ups ADULT SWIM
21. “Well, hello there” OH, HI
24. Land of the Incas PERU
25. Hoops cable channel NBA TV
29. Catch on LEARN
31. Disgusting VILE
33. Aunt Bee’s charge OPIE
34. Dishwasher cycle DRY
35. Operatic solo ARIA
37. City with canals VENICE
39. Motorcycle designed for acrobatic maneuvers STUNT BIKE
41. What flower girls toss PETALS
44. In good health HALE
45. Underwire garment BRA
48. Mounted on ATOP
49. Post-shower powder TALC
51. More than just a good buy STEAL
53. Local news hr. TEN PM
55. Left dreamland WOKE
57. Slight advantage EDGE
58. Baseball play that may be foiled by a pitchout HIT AND RUN
61. Double-crosser TRAITOR
64. Freeway entrances ON-RAMPS
68. Bump from behind REAR-END
69. Champions WINNERS
70. Sticks ADHERES
71. Cuddles NESTLES

Down
1. South, at the Sorbonne SUD
2. Org. for shrinks APA
3. Barnyard pen STY
4. Malarkey HOT AIR
5. Shuffle or nano IPOD
6. “Don’t be a wuss!” MAN UP!
7. “The Stepford Wives” novelist IRA LEVIN
8. Foreign service officer CONSUL
9. Declare to be true AVOW
10. Showed the way LED IN
11. Glenn Miller’s instrument TROMBONE
12. Prof’s email suffix EDU
13. Baby bear CUB
14. Riled (up) HET
20. Ironman event comprised of the last words of 19-, 39- and 58-Across TRIATHLON
21. Passé OLD
22. That woman HER
23. Stable diet? HAY
26. Bee: Pref. API-
27. Nervous mannerism TIC
28. Crew neck alternative VEE
30. Part of NIH: Abbr. NATL
32. Wicked EVIL
36. Auto body concern RUST
38. Scratches (out) EKES
39. Deep blue gem SAPPHIRE
40. Retreat BACK DOWN
41. Gentle touch PAT
42. Summer, at the Sorbonne ETE
43. Huge amount TON
45. Resting place BED
46. Car-cleaning cloth RAG
47. Bar brew ALE
50. Medals and trophies AWARDS
52. Rent payer TENANT
54. Bishop’s hat MITER
56. “How to Build a Classic Golf Swing” author Els ERNIE
59. Sound of music TONE
60. Footed vases URNS
61. __-la-la TRA
62. Color to stop at RED
63. “That feels good!” AAH!
65. “Spaceballs” director Brooks MEL
66. Start to heat? PRE-
67. Cobra’s warning SSS!

Return to top of page