LA Times Crossword Answers 13 Dec 14, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Pawel Fludzinski & Michael S. Maurer
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 18m 18s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. “The __ the facts, the stronger the opinion”: Arnold H. Glasow FEWER
Arnold H. Glasow made a business out of publishing a humor magazine that he wrote for companies to publish under their own banner. There are quite a few sage quotes attributed to Glasow, including:

– The fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion.
– A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, and a little less than his share of the credit.
– Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.
– Make your life a mission – not an intermission.
– Nothing lasts forever – not even your troubles.

6. Bois __: tree once used to make bows D’ARC
The Osage orange is also known as the horse apple, and is a deciduous tree native to North America. The wood of the tree was prized by Native Americans, particularly the Osage nation, who used it to make bows. The Osage Orange was also called “bois d’arc” (meaning “bow-wood”) by early French settlers, a reference to the local usage. This French name was corrupted into “bodark” and “bodarc”, another name for the same tree.

10. Simple race of fiction ELOI
In the 1895 novel by H. G. Wells called “The Time Machine”, there are two races that the hero encounter in his travels into the future. The Eloi are the “beautiful people” who live on the planet’s surface. The Morlocks are a race of cannibals living underground who use the Eloi as food.

14. Words from one who doesn’t see I’M OUT
In a game of poker, a player might say “I’ll see you”, meaning “I’ll match your bet” or “I’ll match your raise”. The term isn’t really appreciated by the professionals though, and the more correct phrase is “I call”.

17. __ diem CARPE
“Carpe diem” is a quotation from Horace, one of Ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets. “Carpe diem” translates from Latin as “seize the day” or “enjoy the day”.

19. Egyptian life symbols ANKHS
The ankh was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character for “eternal life”. The ankh wasn’t just used in inscriptions but was often fashioned into amulets and as surrounds for mirrors (perhaps symbolizing a view into another world).

20. It was spawned by the Manhattan Project ATOMIC AGE
The “Atomic Age” began with the detonation of the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945 at the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range in New Mexico. The phrase “Atomic Age” was coined by William L. Laurence, the official journalist for the Manhattan Project. Laurence personally witnessed the Trinity test as well as the dropping of Fat Man on Nagasaki.

21. Beehive State native UTE
The Ute are a group of Native American tribes that now reside in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups.

When Mormon pioneers were settling what is today the state of Utah, they referred to the area as Deseret, a word that means “beehive” according to the Book of Mormon. Today Utah is known as the Beehive State and there is a beehive symbol on the Utah state flag.

23. Lover of Aphrodite ARES
The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of blood-lust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

24. Polo and others TEAM SPORTS
The sport of polo originated in Iran, possibly before the 5th century BC. Polo was used back them primarily as a training exercise for cavalry units.

27. Some rats ALBINOS
An “albino” is an organism lacking normal pigmentation. The term comes from “albus”, Latin for “white”.

34. Super Bowl party array SALSAS
“Salsa” is simply the Spanish for “sauce”.

35. Jack feature, perhaps ONE EYE
There is a poker game that’s popular in home games in which one-eyed jacks are chosen as wild cards. The one-eyed jacks are the Jack of Spades and the Jack of Hearts.

39. Ironically, Samantha Bond portrayed her in several films MONEYPENNY
The English actress Samantha Bond played Miss Moneypenny in the “James Bond” movies in which Pierce Brosnan had the title role. Bond (Samantha, not James!) also plays Lady Rosamund Painswick in the TV period drama “Downton Abbey”.

46. Matinée idol Johnson VAN
Van Johnson was one of the matinée idols of the forties and fifties at the MGM studio. JOhnson played a lot of WWII war film roles, notably in “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) and “A Guy Named Joe” (1943).

“Matinée” is a French word used to describe a musical entertainment held during the daytime. It is derived from the word “matin”, meaning “morning”, although here is used in the sense of “daylight”. Theater performances in the US tend to be either in the evening (for the night owls) or in matinees in the afternoon (for “the early-to-bed crowd”).

47. Titanic, e.g. STEAMSHIP
The RMS Titanic set off on her tragic maiden voyage in 1912, sailing from Southampton, England bound for New York City. Regulations only required that the ship have lifeboat capacity for 1,178 people, even though a full complement of passengers and crew was 3,547. When the order was given to abandon ship, the captain adhered to the traditional protocol of “women and children first”. As a result, only 20% of male passengers survived the disaster, compared to 75% of the female passengers. Perhaps more telling is that 61% of those in first class survived, and only 25% of those in third class. The crew fared even worse though, with only 24% making it.

49. Sister of Goneril REGAN
“King Lear” is one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. Lear’s three daughters figure prominently in the storyline. The three are, in order of age:

– Goneril
– Regan
– Cordelia

52. Acid used in soap OLEIC
Oleic Acid is a fatty acid, found in many animal and plants sources, but most notably in olives. As such, “Oleic” means “derived from the olive”.

54. Trunk TORSO
“Torso” (plural “torsi” or “torsos”) is an Italian word meaning the “trunk of a statue”, a word that we imported into English.

55. Soviet news acronym TASS
TASS is the acronym used for the former news agency that had the full name Telegraph Association of the Soviet Union (Telegrafnoe Agentstvo Sovetskovo Soyuza). When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1992, the Moscow-based agency’s scope changed along with its name. It is now known as the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS).

57. Recesses APSES
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.

Down
1. Pay stub letters FICA
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.

2. Pianist who often collaborates with Yo-Yo Ma EMANUEL AX
The wonderful classical pianist Emanuel Ax was born in Lviv, now in Ukraine. He arrived in New York City with his family when he was 12 years old. Ax regularly performs with the cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Yo-Yo Ma is a marvelous American cellist, born in Paris to Chinese parents. Ma started studying the violin when he was very young, working his way up (in size) to the viola and finally to the cello. He has said that he wanted to play the double bass, but it was just too big for his relatively small frame.

4. Softener of a kind EUPHEMISM
A euphemism is a word or phrase that is substituted in place a word or phrase that is seemed to be offensive.

5. GPS data RTES
Route (rte.)

Global Positioning System (GPS)

6. Back to back, in Bordeaux DOS A DOS
“Dos à dos” is French for “back to back”.

Bordeaux is perhaps the wine producing capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. After the German’s took France, the capital was famously moved to Vichy.

7. Personification AVATAR
The Sanskrit word “avatar” describes the concept of a deity descending into earthly life and taking on a persona. It’s easy to see how in the world of “online presences” one might use the word avatar to describe one’s online identity.

9. Many a piece of pulp fiction CRIME STORY
“Pulp fiction” was the name given to cheap, fiction magazines that were popular from the late 1890s up to the 1950s. The phrase comes from the inexpensive wood pulp paper that was used for the publications. The upmarket equivalent, was printed on fine glossy paper.

10. Author Jong ERICA
The author Erica Jong’s most famous work is her first: “Fear of Flying”, a novel published in 1973. Over twenty years later she wrote “Fear of Fifty: a midlife memoir”, published in 1994.

11. ’70s-’80s Rabbit competitor LE CAR
French automaker Renault made the “mini-like” Renault 5 and sold it as the Renault “Le Car” in North America. My Dad had a Renault 5 back in Ireland …

The Volkswagen Rabbit is a small front-wheel drive car that is sold as the Volkswagen Golf outside of North America.

13. Man and others ISLES
The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn’t part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

25. Pop partner SNAP
Snap, Crackle and Pop are three elves employed as the mascots for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies. The trio first appeared in an ad campaign in 1933, although the phrase “snap, crackle and pop” had been used for the cereal for some time in radio ads. By the way, the elves are selling “Rice Bubbles” in Australia, and the elves have different names in other parts of the world (like “Cric!, Crac! and Croc! in Quebec).

30. Convert to condos, say REDEVELOP
The words “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the one type of residential property, a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

31. Romeo and Juliet, for two TEENAGERS
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, it is explicitly stated that Juliet is 13 years of age, and the assumption is that Romeo is perhaps a little older.

32. Cooked with onions LYONNAISE
The adjective “Lyonnaise”, as well as describing someone from the French city of Lyon, is used in French cuisine to mean “cooked with onions”.

33. Selection process word EENY

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

40. German/Polish border river NEISSE
There are three significant rivers with the name Niesse in Europe. The longest of these is referred to as the Lusatian Neisse as it passes through the region of Lusatia. The river was used to define part of the border between Germany and Poland after WWII in the Potsdam Agreement of 1945.

42. Rock memoir I, TINA
“I, Tina” is the 1986 autobiography of Tina Turner. The book was so successful it was adapted into a movie called “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” The film version was released in 1993 and starring Angela Bassett as Tina Turner.

44. __ resistance SALES
“Sales resistance” is the opposition encountered by a salesperson in a potential buyer.

49. “The Godfather” composer ROTA
Nino Rota was a 20th century Italian composer, best known for composing film scores. He was very productive, composing an average of three scores per year for 46 years, including an incredible 13 scores in 1954. He won a Best Original Score Oscar in 1974 for “The Godfather Part II”.

50. Some PX patrons NCOS
Non-commissioned officer (NCO)

A PX is a Post Exchange, a retail store operating on a US Army Base. The equivalent store on an Air Force Base is called a Base Exchange (BX). At a Navy installation it’s a Navy Exchange (NEX), at a Marine Corps installation it’s a Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) and at a Coast Guard Installation it’s a CGX.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “The __ the facts, the stronger the opinion”: Arnold H. Glasow FEWER
6. Bois __: tree once used to make bows D’ARC
10. Simple race of fiction ELOI
14. Words from one who doesn’t see I’M OUT
15. Wear tails to tea, say OVERDRESS
17. __ diem CARPE
18. Cutting SATIRICAL
19. Egyptian life symbols ANKHS
20. It was spawned by the Manhattan Project ATOMIC AGE
21. Beehive State native UTE
22. It may precede a stunt DARE
23. Lover of Aphrodite ARES
24. Polo and others TEAM SPORTS
27. Some rats ALBINOS
28. Surprise STARTLE
34. Super Bowl party array SALSAS
35. Jack feature, perhaps ONE EYE
36. Gives special treatment to EXEMPTS
38. Use to one’s advantage TRADE ON
39. Ironically, Samantha Bond portrayed her in several films MONEYPENNY
41. Suffers AILS
45. “Up and __!” AT ‘EM
46. Matinée idol Johnson VAN
47. Titanic, e.g. STEAMSHIP
49. Sister of Goneril REGAN
51. On-site trial FIELD TEST
52. Acid used in soap OLEIC
53. About to cover old ground? IN REVERSE
54. Trunk TORSO
55. Soviet news acronym TASS
56. Vibrating instrument piece REED
57. Recesses APSES

Down
1. Pay stub letters FICA
2. Pianist who often collaborates with Yo-Yo Ma EMANUEL AX
3. Craftsman’s item WORKTABLE
4. Softener of a kind EUPHEMISM
5. GPS data RTES
6. Back to back, in Bordeaux DOS A DOS
7. Personification AVATAR
8. Sass RETORTS
9. Many a piece of pulp fiction CRIME STORY
10. Author Jong ERICA
11. ’70s-’80s Rabbit competitor LE CAR
12. __ orange OSAGE
13. Man and others ISLES
16. Deodorant product word DRI
24. Zap TASE
25. Pop partner SNAP
26. Letter man POSTMASTER
29. Words after grab or take A NAP
30. Convert to condos, say REDEVELOP
31. Romeo and Juliet, for two TEENAGERS
32. Cooked with onions LYONNAISE
33. Selection process word EENY
37. “Take that!” SO THERE!
38. Like a diner eying a dessert tray TEMPTED
40. German/Polish border river NEISSE
41. Equally buff AS FIT
42. Rock memoir I, TINA
43. Hardly good looks LEERS
44. __ resistance SALES
48. CCCI quintupled MDV
49. “The Godfather” composer ROTA
50. Some PX patrons NCOS

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