LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Aug 14, Sunday

Frequently Asked Question: Why isn’t the puzzle in my paper the same as the one shown on your blog?
If the puzzle in your paper doesn’t match the one that I solved, it is probably a Sunday crossword. On Sundays, the “LA Times” chooses to publish Merl Reagle’s excellent crossword, and not their own “LA Times” Crossword. The “LA Times” puzzle is still sent out in syndication, and is also published in the “LA Times” online. I’ve been asked to blog about Merl Reagle’s crossword, but frankly I don’t have the time. Sunday puzzles have lots of clues!

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CROSSWORD SETTER: C.C. Burnikel
THEME: Treasure Hunt … today’s themed answers each comprises two words, the first ending in A, and the second starting with G. So, we have “Ag” hidden in each themed answer. As “Ag” is the chemical symbol for “silver”, then we have some HIDDEN TREASURE:

22A. *Source of mohair ANGORA GOAT
28A. *Runner-up to Einstein as Time’s Person of the Century in 1999 MAHATMA GANDHI
44A. *__ Tibbets, eponymous mother of a WWII pilot ENOLA GAY
47A. *Super Nintendo rival SEGA GENESIS
67A. *1965 Beach Boys hit CALIFORNIA GIRLS
91A. *Black-necked honker CANADA GOOSE
94A. *Hue akin to avocado PEA GREEN
110A. *Gainesville team FLORIDA GATORS
118A. Where to find the metal whose symbol spans the words in the answers to starred clues SILVER MINE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 15m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

13. Those, in Toledo ESOS
Toledo is a city in central Spain.

17. First king of Israel SAUL
According to the Hebrew Bible, Saul was the first King of Israel and ruled from 1049 BC to 1007 BC. Saul’s story is mainly recounted in the Books of Samuel.

20. Capone associate NITTI
Frank Nitti was one of the top henchmen working for Al Capone. Unlike American-born Capone, Nitti was actually from Italy and was born near the city of Salerno. When Capone was eventually put away for 11 years for tax evasion, Nitti was convicted of the same crime. Nitti was only imprisoned for 18 months, and when released he was labelled as the new head of Capone’s Chicago Outfit. However the truth seems to be that he was just a frontman, with others making the decisions.

22. *Source of mohair ANGORA GOAT
Angora wool comes from the Angora rabbit. On the other hand, the Angora goat produces the wool known as mohair.

25. Land south of Moab EDOM
Edom is an ancient Iron Age kingdom located in the south of modern-day Jordan. The area is known for its red-colored sandstone, which gave the kingdom its name. The Hebrew word “Edom” translates as “red”.

In the Bible, Moab was the first son of Lot, and the founder of the Kingdom of Moab. Moab was located on a plateau above the Dead Sea.

26. Three, for Kentucky Derby horses AGE
The first Kentucky Derby was run in 1875, and is a race modelled on the Epsom Derby in England and the Grand Prix de Paris (now called the “Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe”). As such, The Kentucky Derby is a race for three-year-olds and was run over 1½ miles, although in 1896 this was shortened to 1¼ miles. The winning horse is presented with a very elaborate blanket made of red roses.

27. Mule parent ASS
A hinny is the offspring of a male horse (the “h-” from h-orse) and a female donkey/ass (the “-nny” from je-nny). A mule is more common, and is the offspring of a female horse and male donkey/ass.

28. *Runner-up to Einstein as Time’s Person of the Century in 1999 MAHATMA GANDHI
Mohandas Gandhi was a political and spiritual leader in India in the first part of the 20th century, as the country sought independence from Britain. He was also referred to as “Mahatma”, meaning “great soul”. His remarkable philosophy of nonviolence and living a modest lifestyle was a great inspiration to the Indian people. India (and Pakistan) was granted independence in 1947. Sadly, Gandhi was assassinated the very next year, by a Hindu nationalist.

“Time” magazine started naming a “Man of the Year” in 1927, only changing the concept to “Person of the Year” in 1999. Prior to 1999, the magazine did recognize four females as “Woman of the Year”: Wallis Simpson (1936), Soong May-ling a.k.a. Madame Chiang Kai-shek (1937), Queen Elizabeth II (1952) and Corazon Aquino (1986). “Time” named Albert Einstein as Person of the Century in 1999, with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi as runners-up.

33. Silent movie femme fatale Theda BARA
Theda Bara was a silent film star from Cincinnati, Ohio. Many cite Bara as the first movie sex symbol. She wore very revealing costumes in many of her films and she often played the femme fatale character. As such, Bara’s nickname was “the Vamp”.

34. V-J Day pres. HST
The initial “S” in the middle of the name Harry S. Truman (HST) doesn’t stand for anything. The future-president was named “Harry” in honor of his mother’s brother Harrison “Harry” Young. The initial “S” was chosen in honor of young Harry’s two grandfathers: Anderson S-hipp Truman and S-olomon Young.

The actual date of V-J Day is not as clear as one might imagine. In the US we celebrate V-J Day on September 2nd each year, commemorating the day the Japanese signed the surrender document which officially ended WWII. In the UK, V-J Day is celebrated on August 15th, commemorating the day on which surrender was announced in Europe and North America. To further complicate matters, because of time zone differences, surrender was announced in Japan on the preceding date, August 14th, 1945.

36. Loaded one SOT
Our word “sot” comes from the Old English “sott”, meaning a fool. The word “sot” started to be associated with alcohol and not just foolery in the late 1500s.

37. Highest U.S. capital SANTA FE
Santa Fe is New Mexico’s capital, and the fourth most-populous city in the state (after Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho). Sitting at 7,199 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is the highest state capital in the US. The city’s name translates from Spanish as “Holy Faith”. The full name of the city when it was founded in 1607 was “La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís”, meaning “the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi”.

39. Pinkerton logo EYE
The Pinkerton National Detective Agency was founded in 1850 by Scottish American detective and spy Allan Pinkerton. Apparently, in the late 19th century, Pinkerton had more agents than the US Army had soldiers.

41. School address ending EDU
The .edu domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:

– .com (commercial enterprise)
– .net (entity involved in network infrastructure e.g. an ISP)
– .mil (US military)
– .org (not-for-profit organization)
– .gov (US federal government entity)
– .edu (college-level educational institution)

44. *__ Tibbets, eponymous mother of a WWII pilot ENOLA GAY
The Enola Gay was the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in August 1945. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of pilot Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

47. *Super Nintendo rival SEGA GENESIS
The Genesis is a video game console sold in the US by the Japanese company Sega. In the rest of the world, the console is sold as the Mega Drive, as Sega couldn’t get the rights to the Mega Drive name in the US.

56. Yahoo! rival MSN
MSN was originally called The Microsoft Network, and was introduced in 1995 as an integral part of Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system. MSN is a whole bundle of services including email, instant messaging, and the MSN.com portal (which is the 9th most visited site on the Internet).

57. Manxmen, e.g. GAELS
Gaels are speakers of one of the three Gaelic Celtic languages of Irish, Scottish and Manx.

58. Fire dept. volunteer, perhaps EMT
Emergency medical technician (EMT)

59. High chain SIERRA
“Sierra” is the Spanish word for “saw”, and became the Spanish word for “jagged mountain range”. Ultimately, the term derives from the Latin “serra” meaning “saw”.

61. Car buyer’s choice SEDAN
The American “sedan” car is the equivalent of the British “saloon” car. By definition, a sedan car has two rows of seating and a separate trunk (boot in the UK), although in some models the engine can be at the rear of the car.

67. *1965 Beach Boys hit CALIFORNIA GIRLS
“California Girls” was released in 1965 by the Beach Boys, and reached number three in the “Billboard” charts. Twenty years later David Lee Roth recorded a very successful cover version of the song, and it reached exactly the same spot in the charts, number three.

72. “Full House” actor STAMOS
Actor John Stamos is best known as the star of the sitcom “Full House”, although he also played Dr. Tony Gates on the medical drama “ER”.

83. Fish similar to the stingray SKATE
Skates (formally “Rajidae”) are a family of fish in the superorder of rays (formally “Batoidea”). Skates look very similar to stingrays but they lack stinging spines.

86. Longfellow’s “The Bell of __” ATRI
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote “The Sicilian’s Tale; The Bell of Atri”, a narrative poem set in the small town of Atri in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

90. Words before dash or pinch, in recipes ADD A
In cooking, a “dash” is a very small measure, one that is often undefined. However, you can in fact buy some measuring spoons that define not only a dash, but also a “pinch” and a “smidgen” as follows:

– a dash is 1/8 teaspoon
– a pinch is 1/16 teaspoon
– a smidgen is 1/32 teaspoon

96. iOS part: Abbr. SYS
iOS is what Apple now call their mobile operating system, previously known as iPhone OS.

97. “Hold On Tight” rock gp. ELO
“Hold on Tight” is a 1981 song released by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and is a favorite of mine. I particularly like the use of the French language for one of the verses. It adds a certain “je ne sais quoi” …

98. Biblical quartet GOSPELS
“Gospel” is a term that came to us via Old English. The Old English term is “godspel” meaning “good story”, and referred to the glad tidings announced by Jesus.

101. Pooh pal ROO
Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”, Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne’s son, Christopher Robin.

102. Old jazz standard “__ Liza Jane” LI’L
“Li’l Liza Jane” is a song that was first published in 1916, and was described back then a a “Southern dialect song”. The song appears to have been around even earlier though, at least in the 1910s.

106. Windex target PANE
The glass cleaner called Windex was introduced in 1933. The formulation sold up to the end of WWII had to be packed in metal cans because it was so flammable.

110. *Gainesville team FLORIDA GATORS
The Florida Gators are the sports teams of the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. Sometimes the female teams are called the “Lady Gators”, and all of the fans make up the “Gator Nation”.

114. Stooge with bangs MOE
If you’ve seen a few of the films starring “The Three Stooges” you’ll have noticed that the line up changed over the years. The original trio was made up of Moe and Shemp Howard (two brothers) and Larry Fine (a good friend of the Howards). This line up was usually known as “Moe, Larry and Shemp”. Then Curly Howard replaced his brother when Shemp quit the act, creating the most famous trio, “Moe, Larry And Curly”. Shemp returned when Curly had a debilitating stroke in 1946, and Shemp stayed with the troupe until he died in 1955. Shemp was replaced by Joe Besser, and then “Curly-Joe” DeRita. When Larry Fine had a stroke in 1970, it effectively marked the end of the act.

121. Church recess APSE
The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

122. Ugli coats RINDS
The ugli fruit is a hybrid of an orange and a tangerine, first discovered growing wild in Jamaica where most ugli fruit comes from today.

123. Where el-Sisi is president EGYPT
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been President of Egypt since June 2014. El-Sisi had been leader of the Egyptian armed forces and led the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

126. “Transcendence” actress Mara KATE
Kate Mara is an actress played the female lead in the US TV series “House of Cards”. Kate is the sister of fellow actress Rooney Mara who played the lead in the American version of the film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.

“Transcendence” is a 2014 sci-fi film starring Johnny Depp as a scientist whose consciousness is uploaded into a quantum computer.

127. Capone nemesis NESS
Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname “The Untouchables”, the agents who couldn’t be bought.

Down
1. First name in sci-fi ISAAC
Isaac Asimov was a wonderful science fiction writer, and a professor of biochemistry. He was a favorite author as I was growing up and I must admit that some hero worship on my part led me to study and work as a biochemist for a short while early in my career. My favorite of his works is the collection of short stories called “I, Robot”, although Asimov’s most famous work is probably his “Foundation” trilogy of novels.

2. Japanese comics MANGA
The Japanese word “manga” means “whimsical pictures” and is an apt term to describe the Japanese style of comic book. Manga publications are more diverse than American comic books and have a larger audience. Manga cover many subjects including romance, sports, business, horror, and mystery.

3. Washington State Ferries setting PUGET SOUND
George Vancouver was a British explorer, and an officer in the Royal Navy. As well as exploring the coast of Australia, he is best known for his travels along the northwest coast of North America. The city of Vancouver was named in his honor. Travelling with him on his American voyage was a lieutenant Peter Puget, and in his honor, Vancouver named the waters south of the Tacoma Narrows “Puget’s Sound”. Nowadays, the name Puget Sound describes an area much greater than Vancouver had envisioned.

7. Midori on the ice ITO
Midori Ito is a Japanese figure skater. Ito was the first woman to land a triple/triple jump and a triple axel in competition. In fact she landed her first triple jump in training when she was only 8 years old …

8. Tribal healer SHAMAN
A shaman is a supposed intermediary between the human world and the spirit world.

9. Work out HIT THE GYM
Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed.

11. Flag-capturing board game STRATEGO
The wonderful board game called Stratego derives from a traditional Chinese game called “Jungle” or “Animal Chess”. The major difference between Stratego and Jungle is that in the latter the identity of the pieces is not hidden from one’s opponent.

15. Texter’s “Then again …” OTOH
On the other hand (OTOH)

16. Truck stop sight SEMI
A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

20. “Defending Our Nation. Securing the Future” org. NSA
The National Security Agency (NSA) was set up in 1952 by President Truman, a replacement for the Armed Forces Security Agency that had existed in the Department of Defense since 1949. The NSA has always been clouded in secrecy and even the 1952 letter from President Truman that established the agency was kept under wraps from the public for over a generation. I really like the organization’s nickname … “No Such Agency”.

23. Indian yogurt dip RAITA
Raita is a condiment served in Indian restaurants, made from yogurt flavored with coriander, cumin, mint and cayenne pepper.

29. Two-time Senior PGA Championship winner Jay HAAS
Jay Haas is a former PGA golfer from St. Louis, Missouri who now plays on the Champions Tour. Haas was named Champions Tour Player of the Year for 2006.

33. Pungent spice BAY LEAF
The seasoning known as bay leaf is the aromatic leaf of the bay laurel tree or shrub. Fresh bay leaves aren’t very flavorful and need to be dried and aged a few weeks before use in the kitchen.

37. Wild adventures SAFARIS
“Safari” is a Swahili word, meaning “journey” or “expedition”.

42. Gowns for the rich and famous DIORS
Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, imposing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped re-establish Paris as the fashion center of the world.

43. West Point inits. USMA
West Point is a military reservation in New York State, located north of New York City. West Point was first occupied by the Continental Army way back in 1778, making it the longest, continually-occupied military post in the country. Cadet training has taken place at the garrison since 1794, although Congress funding for a US Military Academy (USMA) didn’t start until 1802.

44. O’Neill’s “Desire Under the __” ELMS
“Desire Under the Elms” is a classic American play written by Eugene O’Neill and published in 1924. It is basically a retelling of a Greek tragedy, but set in contemporary New England. Sophia Loren stars in a movie version released in 1958.

49. Historic Mesopotamian city EDESSA
Edessa is the old name for Mesopotamian city that is now called Şanlıurfa (aka Urfa, Turkey).

52. Chow chow ALPO
Alpo is a brand of dog food first produced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

The Chow Chow (sometimes just “Chow”) is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …

“Chow” is an American slang term for food that originated in California in the mid-1800s. “Chow” comes from the Chinese pidgin English “chow-chow” meaning “food”.

53. “God Save the __!”: Russian Empire anthem TSAR
“God Save the Tsar!” was the national anthem of the Russian Empire from 1833 until the Russian Revolution of 1917.

62. Golden wattle, for one ACACIA
Acacia is a genus of tree and shrub, also known as thorntree, whistling thorn and wattle.

Golden Wattle is a flowering tree that was adopted as the Floral Emblem of Australia in 1988.

63. Dub NAME
Kneel, and the Queen might “dub thee a knight” if you’re lucky. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” has come to mean “give someone a name”.

66. Pots on a table KITTIES
The “pot” in a card game has been referred to as the kitty since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it came from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.

68. Lancôme parent company L’OREAL
Lancôme Paris is a brand of makeup. Founded in 1935, the name Lancôme comes from the name of an old French castle, the Château de Lancosme.

69. RPI or MIT INST
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

70. Benihana founder Rocky __ AOKI
The Benihana chain of restaurants was founded in 1964 in New York City by Rocky Aoki. Aoki was a Japanese-born American wrestler who qualified for the 1960 Summer Olympics, but did not compete. “Benihana” is the Japanese for “safflower”.

72. Skewered Thai dish SATAY
The dish known as “satay” originated in Java, Indonesia and is marinated pieces of meat served on a skewer in a sauce, often a spicy peanut sauce.

76. California street with a Walk of Style RODEO DRIVE
There’s a three-block stretch of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California that is known for expensive shopping, mainly in designer clothes stores.

78. Musial in Cooperstown STAN
Stan Musial is a retired baseball player who went by the nickname “Stan the Man”, a moniker he was awarded by the Brooklyn Dodgers fans in 1946. Apparently, off the field Stan is quite the harmonica player.

80. Montana motto word ORO
“Oro y Plata” means “gold and silver”, and is the state motto of Montana. The motto was written in Spanish, solely because “it had a nice ring to it”.

81. River to the Gulf of Mexico RIO GRANDE
The Rio Grande is a river forming part of the border between Mexico and the United States. Although we call the river the Rio Grande on this side of the border, in Mexico it is called the Rio Bravo or Rio Bravo del Norte.

82. Kiss, in Cádiz BESO
Cádiz is a port city in southwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz is a remarkable city geographically in that it sits on a thin spit of land that juts out into the sea.

84. Doe in “Bambi” ENA
The 1942 Disney classic “Bambi” is based on a book written by Felix Salten called “Bambi, A Life in the Woods”. There is a documented phenomenon known as the Bambi Effect, whereby people become more interested in animal rights after having watched the scene where Bambi’s mother is shot by hunters.

88. Dorian Gray’s flaw EGOMANIA
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a novel by Oscar Wilde, and is in fact Wilde’s only novel. In the story, the title character is a young man appearing in a painting. Jokingly, Dorian sells his soul to the devil so that the painting would age rather than he.

90. Single-season record holder for most HRs by a shortstop A-ROD
]Poor old Alex Rodriguez earned more nicknames than just A-Rod. He has been called “the Cooler” by some players as there is a perception that teams go cold when he joins them and hot when he leaves. He has also been called “A-Fraud” by teammates because of another perception, that he is over-demanding. Rodriguez now seems to be in a world of hurt for using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

92. Where to pick lox DELI
Lox is a cured salmon fillet, finely sliced. The term “lox” comes into English via Yiddish, and derives from the German word for salmon, namely “Lachs”.

93. Hockey’s Phil, to fans ESPO
Phil “Espo” Esposito is a former professional hockey player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.

95. Garson of “Mrs. Miniver” GREER
Greer Garson was a British actress who made a name for herself in Hollywood films in the forties. One of Garson’s most famous roles was playing the title character in the 1942 film “Mrs. Miniver”, starring alongside Walter Pidgeon. Garson married a much younger man in 1943, the actor Richard Ney who played her son in “Mrs. Miniver”.

105. Bond, for one AGENT
James Bond was of course the creation of the writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number 007 was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th century English spy called John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”. There’s an entertaining mini-series that on BBC America not so long ago called “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond”. The show details Ian Fleming’s military career, and draws some nice parallels between Fleming’s experiences and aspirations and those of his hero James Bond. Recommended …

107. Poe and Pope POETS
Edgar Allan Poe lived a life of many firsts. Poe is considered to be the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He was also the first notable American author to make his living through his writing, something that didn’t really go too well for him as he was always financially strapped. In 1849 he was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious from either drugs or alcohol. Poe died a few days later in hospital at 40 years of age.

Alexander Pope was an English poet, famous for his own compositions as well as for a translation of Homer’s works. One of Pope’s most notable poems is “Ode on Solitude” that opens with:

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air,
In his own ground.

Pope wrote that when he was just twelve years old!

112. Nerd DORK
I consider “dork” to be pretty offensive slang. It emanated in the sixties among American students, and has its roots in another slang term, a term for male genitalia.

113. Reasons for end zone dances: Abbr. TDS
Touchdowns (TDs)

114. LeBron James has won four of them: Abbr. MVPS
LeBron James plays basketball for the Miami Heat. James seems to be in demand for the covers of magazines. He became the first African American man to adorn the front cover of “Vogue” in March 2008. That made him only the third male to make the “Vogue” cover, following Richard Gere and George Clooney.

119. Drano ingredient LYE
To clean out drains we might buy Crystal Drano which is sodium hydroxide (lye) mixed with sodium nitrate, sodium chloride (table salt) and aluminum. The contents of Drano work in concert to clear the clog. The lye reacts with any fats creating soap which may be enough to break up the clog. Also, the finely-divided aluminum reacts with water creating tremendous heat so that that mixture boils and churns, then any hair or fibers are cut by the sharp edges of the nitrate and chloride crystals. Having said all that, I find that boiling water poured down the drain almost always does the job …

120. “The Producers” (1968) 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.

“The Producers” is a 1968 satirical movie written and directed by Mel Brooks, the first film he ever directed. Brooks adapted the movie into a hugely successful Broadway musical that won a record 12 Tony Awards. The original leads in the stage show, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, then appeared in a 2005 movie adaptation of the musical version of the original film!

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Nannies’ handfuls IMPS
5. “Now hear __!” THIS
9. Leak indicator HISS
13. Those, in Toledo ESOS
17. First king of Israel SAUL
18. Court statements OATHS
20. Capone associate NITTI
21. Running __ MATE
22. *Source of mohair ANGORA GOAT
24. Hard-nosed STERN
25. Land south of Moab EDOM
26. Three, for Kentucky Derby horses AGE
27. Mule parent ASS
28. *Runner-up to Einstein as Time’s Person of the Century in 1999 MAHATMA GANDHI
31. Watch a pet for a friend CAT-SIT
33. Silent movie femme fatale Theda BARA
34. V-J Day pres. HST
35. L x XXXI MDL
36. Loaded one SOT
37. Highest U.S. capital SANTA FE
39. Pinkerton logo EYE
41. School address ending EDU
44. *__ Tibbets, eponymous mother of a WWII pilot ENOLA GAY
47. *Super Nintendo rival SEGA GENESIS
50. Ostentatious, in a way LOUD
51. Key above G A-FLAT
54. Proof goofs TYPOS
55. Tragic fate DOOM
56. Yahoo! rival MSN
57. Manxmen, e.g. GAELS
58. Fire dept. volunteer, perhaps EMT
59. High chain SIERRA
61. Car buyer’s choice SEDAN
64. Knock on RAP AT
66. They may be planted KISSES
67. *1965 Beach Boys hit CALIFORNIA GIRLS
72. “Full House” actor STAMOS
74. Stifled laugh SNORT
75. Produces interest, say EARNS
79. Cup holder SAUCER
80. Sphere ORB
83. Fish similar to the stingray SKATE
85. One-third of an inning, to a pitcher OUT
86. Longfellow’s “The Bell of __” ATRI
87. Spine-chilling EERIE
89. Easy basket TIP-IN
90. Words before dash or pinch, in recipes ADD A
91. *Black-necked honker CANADA GOOSE
94. *Hue akin to avocado PEA GREEN
96. iOS part: Abbr. SYS
97. “Hold On Tight” rock gp. ELO
98. Biblical quartet GOSPELS
101. Pooh pal ROO
102. Old jazz standard “__ Liza Jane” LI’L
104. Chip, say MAR
106. Windex target PANE
107. Do a pitcher’s job PEDDLE
110. *Gainesville team FLORIDA GATORS
114. Stooge with bangs MOE
115. Clear (of) RID
116. “Here’s the thing …” LOOK …
117. Continuously ON END
118. Where to find the metal whose symbol spans the words in the answers to starred clues SILVER MINE
121. Church recess APSE
122. Ugli coats RINDS
123. Where el-Sisi is president EGYPT
124. Uniform EVEN
125. Bane in a bed WEED
126. “Transcendence” actress Mara KATE
127. Capone nemesis NESS
128. Telescopic __ LENS

Down
1. First name in sci-fi ISAAC
2. Japanese comics MANGA
3. Washington State Ferries setting PUGET SOUND
4. __-mo replay SLO
5. It usually pops up TOAST
6. Fairy tale staples HAGS
7. Midori on the ice ITO
8. Tribal healer SHAMAN
9. Work out HIT THE GYM
10. Newsy tidbits ITEMS
11. Flag-capturing board game STRATEGO
12. Join the chorus SING
13. Polish, as text EMEND
14. Achy from riding SADDLESORE
15. Texter’s “Then again …” OTOH
16. Truck stop sight SEMI
19. Kick off START
20. “Defending Our Nation. Securing the Future” org. NSA
23. Indian yogurt dip RAITA
29. Two-time Senior PGA Championship winner Jay HAAS
30. “Right on!” AMEN!
32. Closing word SOLD
33. Pungent spice BAY LEAF
37. Wild adventures SAFARIS
38. Honor in style FETE
40. Private reply? YES, SIR
42. Gowns for the rich and famous DIORS
43. West Point inits. USMA
44. O’Neill’s “Desire Under the __” ELMS
45. Sniffer dog’s asset NOSE
46. Laugh line GAG
48. Well-put APT
49. Historic Mesopotamian city EDESSA
52. Chow chow ALPO
53. “God Save the __!”: Russian Empire anthem TSAR
60. Resort spot ISLE
62. Golden wattle, for one ACACIA
63. Dub NAME
65. Heavy wts. TNS
66. Pots on a table KITTIES
68. Lancôme parent company L’OREAL
69. RPI or MIT INST
70. Benihana founder Rocky __ AOKI
71. Wrestle (with) GRAPPLE
72. Skewered Thai dish SATAY
73. Sets free TURNS LOOSE
76. California street with a Walk of Style RODEO DRIVE
77. Studio subject NUDE
78. Musial in Cooperstown STAN
79. Pollen production pouches SACS
80. Montana motto word ORO
81. River to the Gulf of Mexico RIO GRANDE
82. Kiss, in Cádiz BESO
84. Doe in “Bambi” ENA
88. Dorian Gray’s flaw EGOMANIA
90. Single-season record holder for most HRs by a shortstop A-ROD
92. Where to pick lox DELI
93. Hockey’s Phil, to fans ESPO
95. Garson of “Mrs. Miniver” GREER
99. Dissect, in a way PARSE
100. Navy flag ENSIGN
103. Bugged IRKED
105. Bond, for one AGENT
107. Poe and Pope POETS
108. White sale item LINEN
109. Pristine places EDENS
110. Chip, perhaps FLAW
111. Move with long strides LOPE
112. Nerd DORK
113. Reasons for end zone dances: Abbr. TDS
114. LeBron James has won four of them: Abbr. MVPS
119. Drano ingredient LYE
120. “The Producers” (1968) director Brooks MEL

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4 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Aug 14, Sunday”

  1. I was surprised to learn that Santa Fe is the highest US capital. I would have picked Denver, the Mile High City. I was just on a visit to Glacier Point in Yosemite which is approx. 7200 feet. Hard to believe Santa Fe is up in that atmosphere 🙂

    I could not get KITTIES and did not understand it until reading the explanation. I've heard "Feed the Kitty" as a term to ante up but couldn't associate pot with kitties.

  2. Wow! That was a quick SKATE. Tho' I will confess I needed Bill's explanation of the theme (Ag = Silver) to understand it. The clues were quite foreign to the theme, IMO.

    I EYEd a number of similar answers in this and today's NYT grid; SAUL and APSE and ÆERIE leap to mind. I wonder if Will and Rich were scheming. 🙂

    My warped mind smiled when I initially saw "Bane in bed" and thought PEER? WEER? OTOH, TMI there.

    My only Python-ish moment came from CANADA GOOSE, "The Lumberjack Song." As that SOT Ed McMahon said, "Hi-yo!!!"

    Bill, you'll know better than me, wasn't the Isle of Man (GAEL) created when Fionn mac Cumhaill scooped part of Ireland and threw it at Scotland? I know the Giant's Causeway goes from Ulster to Staffa, not Man, but I seem to recall that. Is Manx still a unique dialect of Gaelic?

    Enjoy your Sunday, everyone!

  3. Hi Bill and friends.
    Pretty stooopid mistake today.
    Had Seattle instead of SANTA FE.
    What was I thinking???
    Otherwise it went fairly quickly except for the pungent spice
    BEY LEAF Aaack!
    I must have been mentally stuck in WA for PUGET SOUND.
    See you all tomorrow!

  4. @Piano Man
    You've no idea how much stuff I learn researching the background to the clues and answers each evening 🙂

    @Willie
    I'm impressed with your knowledge of Irish legend 🙂 Yep, Fionn mac Cumhaill supposedly grabbed a huge piece of Ireland and tossed it at a rival. The big lump of rock that was thrown landed in the Irish Sea, and is now the Isle of Man. The hole that was left behind formed Lough Neagh in the north of the country, the largest lake in the country and indeed the whole of the British Isles. He also built the Giant's Causeway as a way to get to Scotland without getting wet. And yes, Manx is a unique language, but related to Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Breton. I've witnessed native speakers from Scotland Ireland and the Isle of Man conversing in their own languages, and comprehending each other.

    @Pookie
    Hard luck … sounds like you definitely had a northwestern thing going there!

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