LA Times Crossword Answers 26 Jul 14, Saturday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Bounty mutineer CHRISTIAN
Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall wrote “Mutiny on the ‘Bounty'”, based on a true story. They followed up their successful novel with two more works, creating what is now called the “Bounty Trilogy”. The three books are:

1. “Mutiny on the ‘Bounty'”, the tale of the mutiny against Captain Bligh.
2. “Men Against the Sea”, the story of Captain Bligh and the eighteen men set adrift in an open boat by the mutineers.
3. “Pitcairn’s Island”, a narrative about the lives of the mutineers on South Sea islands after the mutiny.

10. __ ordo seclorum: Great Seal words NOVUS
The Latin phrase “novus ordo seclorum” means “new order of the ages”. These words appear on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, a device used to authenticate some US federal documents. “Novus ordo seclorum” also appears on the back of one-dollar bills. The phrase itself is lifted from one of the works of the ancient Roman poet Virgil.

15. Poe title locale RUE MORGUE
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe, and is recognized as the first “detective story” ever written. The murder is solved when it is determined that the murderer was actually an orangutan.

17. Versatile seasoning ONION SALT
Onion salt is just a mixture of common table salt with dehydrated onion.

22. Game similar to pinochle SKAT
When I was a teenager in Ireland, I had a friend with a German father. The father taught us the game of Skat, and what a great game it is. Skat originated in Germany in the 1800s and is to this day the most popular card game in the country. I haven’t played it in decades, but would love to play it again …

Pinochle is a card game that was developed from the 19th-century French game called bezique.

23. Letters after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s name D-NH
Jeanne Shaheen is the senior US Senator for New Hampshire, and a member of the Democrat Party (D-NH). Shaheen served as the female Governor of New Hampshire, from 1997 to 2003. When she assumed office in the US Senate in 2009, she was the first female US Senator for New Hampshire. That made Shaheen the first woman to be elected both as a state governor and as a US senator.

26. Zap, in a way TASE
Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon named its product as a homage to the novel. The acronym TASER stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle”.

27. __ Provinces MARITIME
The Maritime Provinces of Canada are New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and are all located on the Atlantic coast.

31. Informer STOOLIE
Stoolies, also called canaries, will sing to the cops given the right incentive. “Stoolie” is short for “stool pigeon”. A stool pigeon was a decoy bird tied to a stool so as to lure other pigeons. “Stoolies” were originally decoys for the police, rather than informers, hence the name.

35. “On __ Majesty’s Secret Service” HER
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was the sixth of the James Bond films, and the only one to star George Lazenby in the leading role. He wasn’t a great choice for 007 …

37. Nucleic acid sugar RIBOSE
RNA and DNA are very similar molecules. One big difference is that RNA is a single strand structure, whereas DNA is famously a double-helix. Another difference is that RNA contains ribose as a structural unit, and DNA contains deoxyribose i.e. ribose with one less oxygen atom. And that ribose/deoxyribose difference is reflected in the full name of the two molecules: ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

39. She played Mia in “Pulp Fiction” UMA
Robert Thurman was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and called his daughter “Uma” as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name “Dbuma”. Uma’s big break in movies came with her starring role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit “Pulp Fiction”. My favorite Uma Thurman film is the wonderful 1996 romantic comedy “The Truth About Cats and Dogs”.

I”m not a big fan of director Quentin Tarantino. His movies are too violent for me, and the size of his ego just turns me right off. Having said that, I think “Pulp Fiction” is a remarkable film. If you can look past the violence it’s really well written. And what a legacy it has. John Travolta’s career was on the rocks and he did the film for practically no money, and it turned out be a re-launch for him. Uma Thurman became a top celebrity overnight from her role. Even Bruce Willis got some good out of it, putting an end to a string of poorly received performances.

40. ’90s-’00s reliever Robb NEN
Robb Nen is a former relief pitcher, best known as a player with the San Francisco Giants. When Nen entered a game in the ninth inning, fans referred to it as the “Nenth” inning.

42. Kitchen set DINETTE
A “dinette” is a nook in a kitchen used for casual dining. The term “dinette” can also be used for the tables and chairs used in a dinette.

43. Base BAG
“Bag” is an informal term for a base in baseball.

49. 2000 Richard Gere role DR T
The 2000 movie “Dr. T & the Women” is a pretty good film, starring Richard Gere in the title role. There can’t be many romantic comedies about gynecologists …

Richard Gere has played such great roles on the screen, and I find him to be a very interesting character off the screen. Gere has been studying Buddhism since 1978 and is a very visible supporter of the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet.

53. FICA benefit SSI
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is federal program that provides financial relief to persons with low incomes who are 65 or older, or who are blind or disabled. The SSI program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) even though the the Social Security trust fund is not used for the SSI payments. The SSI payments come out of general tax revenue.

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA) was introduced in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. FICA payments are made by both employees and employers in order to fund Social Security and Medicare.

54. Madewell parent company J.CREW
J.Crew is a clothing and accessory retailer. Never been there, but I’ve seen the name turn up on credit card statements …

56. Like rock’s U2 IRISH
Irish singer Bono is a Dubliner, born Paul David Hewson. As a youth, Hewson was given the nickname “Bono Vox” by a friend, a Latin expression meaning “good voice”, and so the singer has been known as Bono since the late seventies. His band’s first name was “Feedback”, later changed to “The Hype”. The band members searched for yet another name and chose U2 from a list of six names suggested by a friend. They picked U2 because it was the name they disliked least …

61. Cobra feature VENOM
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 …

63. Utopias EDENS
The word “Utopia” was coined by Sir Thomas More for his book “Utopia” published in 1516 describing an idyllic fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. More’s use of the name Utopia comes from the Greek “ou” meaning “not” and “topos” meaning “place”. By calling his perfect island “Not Place”, More was apparently making the point that he didn’t think that the ideal could actually exist.

Down
2. Province of southern China HUNAN
Hunan us a province in south-central China. It is located south of Lake Dongting, which gives the province its name, as “Hunan” translates as “south of the lake”.

3. Clinton Labor secretary Robert REICH
Robert Reich is a political economist who served in three administrations, with Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and with Bill Clinton, for whom he was Secretary of Labor.

5. “Spider-Man” movie company SONY
Spider-Man was a creation of Stan Lee, along with Steve Ditko, and first appeared in comics in 1962. Spider-Man was a somewhat groundbreaking character in that his alterego was a teenage high school student, marking the first time that a young person featured front and center as the superhero.

6. __-80: old computer TRS
The TRS-80 was a model of computer sold by the Tandy Corporation through the company’s Radio Shack outlets. Back in 1977, the “big three” of personal computers were Apple, Commodore and Tandy. Well, at least Apple is still around …

7. Grocery chain initials IGA
IGA stands for Independent Grocers Alliance, a chain of supermarkets that extends right around the world. IGA’s headquarters is in Chicago.

8. Starbucks request AU LAIT
Café au lait (“coffee with milk”) is usually strong, drip coffee to which one adds steamed milk. At least that’s the way we tend to make in this country.

Starbucks is a coffee company based in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest coffeehouse company in the world and has over 19,000 stores. In the 1990s, Starbucks was opening one new store every single day! Starbucks is named after the chief mate on the Pequod in the Herman Melville book “Moby Dick”.

9. Big name in streaming NETFLIX
Netflix was founded in Los Gatos, California in 1997. Although now focused on video streaming, the company delivered it’s billionth DVD in 2007. I presume the renter wasn’t charged for that movie …

10. “__ for Noose”: Grafton novel N IS
Sue Grafton writes detective novels, and her “alphabet series” features the private investigator Kinsey Millhone. She started off with “A Is for Alibi” in 1982 and is working her way through the alphabet, most recently publishing “’W’ is for Wasted” in 2009. What a clever naming system!

11. Horace, for one ODIST
One of Ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, or “Horace” as we tend to know him.

12. One in a bar lineup VODKA SHOT
“Vodka” is a Slavic term meaning “little water”, a diminutive of “voda”, which translates as “water”.

25. Get going HIE
“To hie” is to move quickly, to bolt.

27. Soprano group MOB
“The Sopranos” is an outstanding television drama that was made by HBO and is a story about Italian-American mobsters in New Jersey. “The Sopranos” has made more money than any other television series in the history of cable television. It’s “must see TV” …

28. Graphic novelist Moore et al. ALANS
Alan Moore is an English writer of graphic novels, a term that Moore himself introduced in order to differentiate his work from “comic books”.

29. Twin Cities suburb EDINA
Edina, Minnesota lies just southwest of Minneapolis. The town takes its name from Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It was suggested by a Scottish mill owner at the time a new village was being set up in 1888.

31. Explore with a tank SCUBA DIVE
The self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) was co-invented by celebrated French marine explorer Jacques Cousteau.

33. Women’s issue, familiarly O MAGAZINE
The full name of the publication usually called “O”, is “O: The Oprah Magazine”. Since the magazine’s founding in 2000, Oprah has appeared alone on the cover of each issue, with two exceptions. On the April 2009 cover Oprah was shown with First Lady Michelle Obama, and on the December 2009 cover Oprah shared the limelight with Ellen DeGeneres.

38. Where Antwerp is: Abbr. BEL
The port city of Antwerp is the second most populous urban area in Belgium after the capital Brussels. To most of the French-speaking population of the country, Antwerp is known as Anvers.

41. Jordan, e.g. NBA STAR
Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Not only is he a talented sportsman, but he is also very successful in the business world. His is now the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats NBA team.

45. Three in one TRIUNE
A triune is another word for a trinity, three beings in one.

47. Holyfield rival TYSON
The boxer Mike Tyson has said some pretty graphic things about his opponents. For example:

– About Lennox Lewis, “My main objective is to be professional but to kill him.”
– To Razor Ruddock, “I’m gonna make you my girlfriend.”
– About Tyrell Biggs, “He was screaming like my wife.”

Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from Atmore, Alabama. Holyfield was Undisputed World Champion twice over, once as a cruiserweight and then as a heavyweight.

51. Coarse cloth TWEED
Tweed is a rough woolen fabric very much associated with Scotland in the UK, and County Donegal in Ireland. The cloth was originally called “tweel”, the Scots word for “twill”. Apparently a London merchant misinterpreted some handwriting in the early 1800s and assumed the fabric was called “tweed”, a reference to the Scottish River Tweed, and the name stuck …

54. California’s San __ Capistrano JUAN
San Juan Capistrano is a city in Southern California that takes its name from Mission San Juan Capistrano, around which the city developed.

57. __ Pinafore HMS
“H.M.S. Pinafore” is one of my favorite of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas (a production we staged at high school, many moons ago). “Pinafore” was one of the first big hits for Gilbert & Sullivan (in their native Britain, and in America), and they followed it up with “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado”.

59. “ER” extras RNS
Registered nurses (RNs) might be found in an operating room (OR) or emergency room (ER).

60. Status chaser? QUO
“Status quo” translates from Latin as “state in which”, and in English is used to mean the existing condition or state of affairs.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Bounty mutineer CHRISTIAN
10. __ ordo seclorum: Great Seal words NOVUS
15. Poe title locale RUE MORGUE
16. Words of refusal I DON”T
17. Versatile seasoning ONION SALT
18. Singer’s better half? SIDE A
19. Screwball WACKY
20. Mariner’s direction AFT
22. Game similar to pinochle SKAT
23. Letters after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s name D-NH
24. Spend leisurely, with “away” WHILE
26. Zap, in a way TASE
27. __ Provinces MARITIME
30. __ tight SIT
31. Informer STOOLIE
34. Chose, in a way XED
35. “On __ Majesty’s Secret Service” HER
36. Fighting COMBAT
37. Nucleic acid sugar RIBOSE
39. She played Mia in “Pulp Fiction” UMA
40. ’90s-’00s reliever Robb NEN
42. Kitchen set DINETTE
43. Base BAG
44. Pretax figure SUBTOTAL
46. Rat-__ A-TAT
48. Kind of line PARTY
49. 2000 Richard Gere role DR T
52. Nodding DOZY
53. FICA benefit SSI
54. Madewell parent company J.CREW
56. Like rock’s U2 IRISH
58. Cyan relative TURQUOISE
61. Cobra feature VENOM
62. Credit card charge, perhaps ANNUAL FEE
63. Utopias EDENS
64. Rang true RESONATED

Down
1. Game attendees CROWD
2. Province of southern China HUNAN
3. Clinton Labor secretary Robert REICH
4. “Nothing’s broken!” I’M OK!
5. “Spider-Man” movie company SONY
6. __-80: old computer TRS
7. Grocery chain initials IGA
8. Starbucks request AU LAIT
9. Big name in streaming NETFLIX
10. “__ for Noose”: Grafton novel N IS
11. Horace, for one ODIST
12. One in a bar lineup VODKA SHOT
13. Most restless UNEASIEST
14. Growing symbol STATE TREE
21. Recklessness TEMERITY
24. Reports WRITEUPS
25. Get going HIE
27. Soprano group MOB
28. Graphic novelist Moore et al. ALANS
29. Twin Cities suburb EDINA
31. Explore with a tank SCUBA DIVE
32. Garden color TOMATO RED
33. Women’s issue, familiarly O MAGAZINE
38. Where Antwerp is: Abbr. BEL
41. Jordan, e.g. NBA STAR
42. Common Internet symbol DOT
45. Three in one TRIUNE
47. Holyfield rival TYSON
49. Go with the flow DRIFT
50. Take in again RE-SEE
51. Coarse cloth TWEED
54. California’s San __ Capistrano JUAN
55. Part of a fast-food meal, maybe COLA
57. __ Pinafore HMS
59. “ER” extras RNS
60. Status chaser? QUO

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