LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Jul 14, Saturday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
11. Residencia CASA
In Spanish, one’s residence (residencia) is usually one’s house (casa).

15. Uproar HULLABALOO
Our word “hullabaloo” meaning a “commotion” is a derivative of an older term “hollo-ballo”. “Hollo-ballo” was a word used for an uproar in the north of England and Scotland.

18. Solder WELD
Solder is a metal alloy that is used to join pieces of a work together using the principle that the melting point of the alloy is below the melting point of the workpieces.

19. Fourier series function SINE
A Fourier series is a trigonometric series that can be written to represent any periodic function. The Fourier series is combination of simple sine waves so that the resulting representation is a sum of sines and cosines. The technique was developed by French mathematician and physicist Joseph Fourier in 1822. Fourier is also generally credited with discovering the “greenhouse effect” that is at least partially responsible for global warming.

20. D.C.’s __ Stadium RFK
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium was opened in 1961 as the District of Columbia Stadium, and is actually owned by the District of Columbia. The stadium was renamed in 1969, a few months after Robert Kennedy was assassinated. Kennedy had been instrumental the racial integration of the Washington Redskins who played in the stadium for 36 seasons. As Attorney General, Kennedy threatened to oust the Redskins from the federally-owned stadium unless the team agreed to sign African American players.

21. 2015 destination of the Dawn space probe CERES
Ceres is the smallest dwarf planet in our solar system. Ceres was discovered in 1801 and is the largest body in the asteroid belt. For fifty years Ceres was classified as the eighth planet circling our sun. The Dawn space probe launched by NASA in 2007 is expected to encounter and study Ceres in 2015.

23. Bird that grew as tall as 12 feet MOA
Moas were flightless birds native to New Zealand that are now extinct. The fate of the Moa is a great example of the detrimental effect that humans can have on animal populations. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand about 1300 AD, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. The Moa were hunted to extinction within 200 years, which had the knock-on effect of killing off the Haast’s Eagle, the Moa’s only predator prior to the arrival of man. Moas were huge creatures, measuring up to 12 feet tall with their necks stretched upwards.

27. City NE of Amsterdam EDAM
Edam is the Dutch city that gives its name to the famous cheese. Located in the northwest Netherlands, the city is named for a dam on the river where the first settlement was located.

31. Place with a seat: Abbr. CTY
A county (cty.) usually has a seat, its administrative center.

33. Charm FETISH
A “fetish” is a charm, an object believed to have magical powers. The terms “sexual fetish” and “erotic fetish” were introduced by French psychologist Alfred Binet in reference to sexual interest in nonhuman objects, such as articles of clothing.

37. “Dumb and Dumberer” actress OTERI
Cheri Oteri was the SNL cast member who regularly appeared with Will Farrell in the skit featuring a pair of Spartan cheerleaders.

The 2003 movie “Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd” is a poorly-received prequel to the 1994 box office hit “Dumb and Dumber”. The prequel’s subtitle is a play on the title of the excellent 1989 romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally …”

38. Profs’ aides TAS
Teaching assistant (TA)

39. “Jazz in Silhouette” composer SUN RA
Sun Ra was the stage name of jazz composer and performer Herman Blount. Sun Ra was a bit “out there”, and claimed that he wasn’t from Earth, but rather was of the Angel Race from the planet Saturn.

40. Blood typing concern RH FACTOR
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”.

42. Former Canadian film awards GENIES
The Canadian Film Awards were established in 1949, and were renamed the Genie Awards in 1980. They were also known informally as the “Etrog Awards” as the statuette presented was designed by sculptor Sorel Etrog. The Genie Awards were merged with the Gemini Awards in 2012 and are now presented as the Canadian Screen Awards.

43. Debussy subject MER
“La Mer” is a lovely group of three symphonic sketches for orchestra by the French composer Claude Debussy. Listen to it, and you can feel yourself at the ocean. “La Mer” is French for “The Sea”.

Claude Debussy is one of my favorite composers, one who epitomises the Romantic Era and Impressionist Movement in music. One of my favorite CDs is a collection of some “lighter” Debussy pieces called “Debussy for Daydreaming”, and what an evocative collection it is. Included are “Syrinx”, “Maid with the Flaxen Hair”, “Rêverie” and everyone’s favorite, “Clair de Lune”.

44. Vistula River city KRAKOW
Kraków is the second largest city in Poland, and was a capital for many centuries. The Archbishop of Kraków was Karol Wojtyla, one of the most famous people to have lived in the city. In 1978 Archbishop Wojtyla was installed as Pope John Paul II. Kraków was also where the bagel was invented, in the 16th century.

The Vistula is the longest river in Poland, and passes through the cities of Warsaw and Krakow.

47. Smooth cotton fabrics LISLES
Lisle is a cotton fabric that has been through an extra process at the end of its manufacture that burns off lint and the ends of fibers leaving the fabric very smooth and with a clean edge.

51. Scoreboard fig. PTS
Point (pt.)

52. Piano bar standard MISTY
“Misty” was written in 1954 by one Erroll Garner. Johnny Mathis had a hit with “Misty” five years later, and it was to become his signature tune. The song of course features prominently in the 1971 Clint Eastwood thriller “Play Misty for Me”.

53. Asian festival 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.

57. “Walk __”: 1964 hit ON BY
“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.

58. One of Sophocles’ Theban plays OEDIPUS REX
“Oedipus Rex” (also “Oedipus the King”) is a tragedy penned by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. The play tells the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes King of Thebes. Famously, Oedipus was destined from birth to murder his father and marry his mother.

62. Bond holding? DRY MARTINI
The name “martini” probably takes it name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US. The original martini was made with gin and sweet vermouth, but someone specifying a “dry” martini was given gin and dry vermouth. Nowadays we use dry vermouth for all martinis and the term “dry” has become a reference to how little vermouth is included in the drink. Famously, Noel Coward liked his drink very dry and said that a perfect martini is made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”.

An Americano is a rather tasty cocktail made from Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda. The cocktail used to known as the “Milano-Torino”, as Campari comes from Milano (Milan) and Cinzano vermouth comes from Torino (Turin). The origin of the “Americano” name is disputed. Some say that ‘Americano” is in honor of the drink’s popularity with Americans visiting Italy in the early 1900s. Others say that the name comes from the Italian “amaro” meaning “bitter”. Even though Ian Fleming’s spy is very much associated with a “vodka martini, shaken not stirred”, the first drink he ordered in the series of books was an Americano.

Down
1. There’s a holy one every yr. THU
Maundy Thursday (also “Holy Thursday”) is the name given to the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. The celebration commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. The exact origins of the name “Maundy” are unclear. The Washing of Feet is a traditional rite performed on the day, with the washing of feet intended to be a sign of humility.

3. Sport with end zones ULTIMATE FRISBEE
Ultimate is a team sport, similar to football or rugby in that the goal is to get a flying disc into an endzone or goal area. The sport used to be called “Ultimate Frisbee”, but the “Frisbee” was dropped as it is a registered trademark.

The Frisbee concept started back in 1938 with a couple who had an upturned cake pan that they were tossing between each other on Santa Monica Beach in California. They were offered 25 cents for the pan on the spot, and as pans could be bought for 5 cents, the pair figured there was a living to be earned.

4. Singer Campbell GLEN
I went to a Glen Campbell concert in Reno many, many years ago, and I was surprised by how many hits the man has had over the years. He really is one of the original crossover artists between country and popular music, as is evidenced by his winning Grammy Awards in both categories in 1967. That year he won the country award for “Gentle on My Mind” and the pop award for “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”.

5. Sultan’s group HAREM
“Harem” is a Turkish word, derived from the Arabic for “forbidden place”. Traditionally a harem was the female quarters in a household in which a man had more than one wife. Not only wives (and concubines) would use the harem, but also young children and other female relatives. The main point was that no men were allowed in the area.

6. Ottawa-based media org. CBC
CBC stands for Canadian National Broadcasting, Canada’s national public radio and television broadcaster. In terms of financing and structure, CBC is akin to the BBC in Britain. But as commercial advertising is permitted, it perhaps more akin to RTE, the national broadcasting company in my homeland of Ireland.

8. Norwegian saint OLAF
Of the many kings of Norway named Olaf/Olav (and there have been five), Olaf II is perhaps the most celebrated as he was canonized and made patron saint of the country. Olaf II was king from 1015 to 1028 and was known as “Olaf the Big” (or Olaf the Fat) during his reign. Today he is more commonly referred to as “Olaf the Holy”. After Olaf died he was given the title of Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, which is Latin for “Norway’s Eternal King”.

9. Wielders of weapons called bowcasters WOOKIEES
Wookiees are a biped race featured in “Star Wars”, the most notable being Chewbacca, the loyal friend and associate of Han Solo.

10. Cuts DOS
Hairdos (dos)

12. Best Picture of 1951, with “An” AMERICAN IN PARIS
The 1951 film “An American in Paris” was inspired by the delightful symphonic tone poem of the same name written by George Gershwin in 1928. Gershwin also wrote the music for the film, with lyrics by his brother Ira. The musical is chock full of famous tunes including “I got Rhythm” and “‘S Wonderful”. At the end of the movie there is a very unique dance sequence featuring the stars, Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. The dance lasts a full 16 minutes, choreographed to Gershwin’s original “An American in Paris” composition.

21. Berry hue CERISE
The red color that we know as “cerise” takes its name from “cerise”, the French word for “cherry”.

26. Heel CAD
Our word “cad”, meaning “a person lacking in finer feelings”, is a shortening of the word “cadet”. “Cad” was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used “cad” as a term for a boy from the local town. “Cad” took on its current meaning in the 1830s.

28. Sorvino of “Mighty Aphrodite” MIRA
Mira Sorvino is an American actress, winner of an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1995 Woody Allen movie “Mighty Aphrodite”. Sorvino also played a title role opposite Lisa Kudrow in the very forgettable “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”.

30. Old bread, briefly D-MARK
One of the currencies replaced by the euro was Germany’s Deutsche Mark (known as the “Deutschmark” in English, often abbreviated to “D-mark”).

41. Square root of nove TRE
In Italian, three (tre) is the square root of nine (nove).

42. D.C. school named for a president GWU
The George Washington University (aka GW and GWU) is located in Washington, D.C. The school was founded in 1821 as the Columbian College in the District of Columbia. The school changed its name to the George Washington University.

45. Kia model OPTIMA
The Kia Optima was sold for a while in Canada and Europe as the Kia Magentis.

48. Panache STYLE
Someone exhibiting panache is showing dash and verve, and perhaps has a swagger. “Panache” is a French word used for a plume of feathers, especially in a hat.

52. Memento __: reminder of mortality MORI
A “memento mori” is a symbol used as a reminder of mortality and the inevitability of death. “Memento mori” translates from Latin as “remember that you will die”.

54. Slow Churned ice cream EDY’S
Dreyers’ ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyers in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dryer and Joseph Edy.

60. They follow the nus XIS
The Greek letter “xi”, despite the name, is not the precursor of our letter X. Our X comes from the Greek letter “chi”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Challenge for a comedian TOUGH CROWD
11. Residencia CASA
15. Uproar HULLABALOO
16. In AMID
17. Lawlessness UTTER CHAOS
18. Solder WELD
19. Fourier series function SINE
20. D.C.’s __ Stadium RFK
21. 2015 destination of the Dawn space probe CERES
22. Edge RIM
23. Bird that grew as tall as 12 feet MOA
25. Stranded, perhaps ICED IN
27. City NE of Amsterdam EDAM
29. Cry of dismay OH DEAR!
31. Place with a seat: Abbr. CTY
33. Charm FETISH
35. Reflect MEDITATE
37. “Dumb and Dumberer” actress OTERI
38. Profs’ aides TAS
39. “Jazz in Silhouette” composer SUN RA
40. Blood typing concern RH FACTOR
42. Former Canadian film awards GENIES
43. Debussy subject MER
44. Vistula River city KRAKOW
46. Biol. branch ANAT
47. Smooth cotton fabrics LISLES
49. __ crawl PUB
51. Scoreboard fig. PTS
52. Piano bar standard MISTY
53. Asian festival TET
55. Good earth LOAM
57. “Walk __”: 1964 hit ON BY
58. One of Sophocles’ Theban plays OEDIPUS REX
61. Stagger REEL
62. Bond holding? DRY MARTINI
63. “Gotcha” I SEE
64. Some finals ESSAY TESTS

Down
1. There’s a holy one every yr. THU
2. ESPN talk show OUTSIDE THE LINES
3. Sport with end zones ULTIMATE FRISBEE
4. Singer Campbell GLEN
5. Sultan’s group HAREM
6. Ottawa-based media org. CBC
7. Spirited RAH-RAH
8. Norwegian saint OLAF
9. Wielders of weapons called bowcasters WOOKIEES
10. Cuts DOS
11. Emulated a rook CAWED
12. Best Picture of 1951, with “An” AMERICAN IN PARIS
13. Passive disapproval SILENT TREATMENT
14. Puts together ADDS
21. Berry hue CERISE
22. Change for the better REFORM
24. Excited cry OOH!
26. Heel CAD
28. Sorvino of “Mighty Aphrodite” MIRA
30. Old bread, briefly D-MARK
32. Bakers’ buys YEASTS
34. Not well SICKLY
36. __ salad TUNA
38. They’re often busy at breakfast TOASTERS
41. Square root of nove TRE
42. D.C. school named for a president GWU
45. Kia model OPTIMA
48. Panache STYLE
50. Divulge, with “out” BLURT
52. Memento __: reminder of mortality MORI
54. Slow Churned ice cream EDY’S
56. Bone: Pref. OSTE-
58. Tribute of a sort ODE
59. Yield a return PAY
60. They follow the nus XIS

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