LA Times Crossword Answers 14 Dec 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: Paul Hunsberger
THEME: Eureka Moments … today’s themed answers are all common phrases, but each is clued as is though that phrase is describing what a particular inventor did upon making a discovery, in a “punny” sort of way:

23A. In inventing his elevator, Otis __ ROSE TO THE OCCASION
31A. Nervously testing his new invention, the Aqua-Lung, Cousteau __ TOOK A DEEP BREATH
54A. In inventing the hot air balloon, the Montgolfier brothers __ GOT CARRIED AWAY
89A. Tired, but pleased to have invented the air conditioner, Carrier __ COOLED HIS HEELS
105A. Proving his invention of the joy buzzer to be a complete success, Adams __ SHOCKED EVERYONE
118A. Immediately upon inventing the box camera (but not the lens cap), Eastman __ SNAPPED HIS FINGERS
16D. After inventing the forerunner to the modern toilet, Harington __ FLUSHED WITH PRIDE
39D. To celebrate inventing his revolutionary engine, Watt __ BLEW OFF SOME STEAM

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 19m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

5. “Dr. Strangelove” subject A-BOMB
“Dr. Strangelove” is a black comedy directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, released in 1964. The big star in the film is the great Peter Sellers, who plays three key roles. The full name of the movie is “Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”.

16. Tasseled top FEZ
“Fez” is the name given to the red cylindrical hat worn mainly in North Africa, and by Shriners here in the US. The fez used to be a very popular hat across the Ottoman Empire. The etymology of “fez” is unclear, although it might have something to do with the Moroccan city named Fez.

19. Shivering state AGUE
An ague is a fever, one usually associated with malaria.

21. Sellers of used texts ALUMNI
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

22. Vientiane local LAO
Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, situated on the famous Mekong River. The city was originally called the “city of sandalwood” by Buddhist monks, naming after the valued trees that grew in the area. The French took the Pali words for “city of sandalwood” and rewrote it as the French-sounding “Vientiane”.

23. In inventing his elevator, Otis __ ROSE TO THE OCCASION
Elevators (simple hoists) have been around for a long time. What Elisha Otis did was come up with the “safety elevator”, a design that he showcased at the 1853 World’s Fair in New York. At the Fair, Otis would stand on an elevated platform in front of onlookers and order his assistant to cut the single rope holding up the platform. His safety system kicked in when the platform had only fallen a few inches, amazing the crowd. After this demonstration, the orders came rolling in.

26. Troop-lifting gp. USO
The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of FDR “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

27. 1985, for Marty McFly PRESENT
In the fun 1985 movie “Back to the Future”, Marty McFly finds himself back in 1955, and is trying to get BACK to his FUTURE, which is 1985. But on the other hand, 1985 is really Marty’s present, before he went back in time. Why does time travel have to be so complicated …

Michael J. Fox was the first choice to play the lead character, Marty McFly, in 1985’s “Back to the Future”. Unfortunately, the producers of his TV sitcom “Family Ties” would not release him to make the movie, so the crew started filming with a different choice for the lead, actor Eric Stoltz. Weeks into production, it was decided that Stoltz was miscast, and Fox was approached again. Eventually an arrangement was made with the “Family Ties” producers to “share” Fox, which led to an exhausting schedule. Fox worked seven days a week, filming “Family Ties” during the day and working on “Back to the Future” at night, usually till 2:30 in the morning.

28. Producer of steamy fare? WOK
“Wok” is a Cantonese word, the name for the frying pan now used in many Asian cuisines.

31. Nervously testing his new invention, the Aqua-Lung, Cousteau __ TOOK A DEEP BREATH
Jacques-Yves Cousteau started off his career in the French Navy, aiming for a working life in aviation. Because of a car accident, Cousteau had to abandon his first career choice and instead went to sea. Famously, he invented the Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA), also called the aqualung.

41. Oscar winner Sorvino 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”.

46. Soft wood BALSA
Balsa is a very fast growing tree that is native to parts of South America. Even though balsa wood is very soft, it is actually classified as a hardwood, the softest of all the hardwoods (go figure!). Balsa is light and strong, so is commonly used in making model airplanes. Amazingly, in WWII a full-size British plane, the de Havilland Mosquito, was built largely from balsa and plywood. No wonder they called it “The Wooden Wonder” and “The Timber Terror”.

49. Periodontist’s concern GUMS
The periodontium is the name given to the tissues that surround and support the teeth.

51. Old Norse poetry collection EDDA
The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in the 13th century, in Iceland.

52. Black Sea port ODESSA
The city of Odessa (also “Odesa”) in Ukraine was founded relatively recently, in 1794 by Catherine the Great. The city was originally meant to be called Odessos after an ancient Greek city believed to have been located nearby. Catherine liked the way the locals pronounced the name as “Odessa” and so went with the less Greek-sounding name.

54. In inventing the hot air balloon, the Montgolfier brothers __ GOT CARRIED AWAY
The first manned flight in a hot air balloon took place in 1873 when Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier was carried aloft in a tethered flight. The balloon that he used was invented by Étienne and his brother Joseph-Michel Montgolfier. If you go see the Paris Las Vegas hotel, you can see giant replica of the Montgolfier balloon alongside a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

57. Old Sony brand AIWA
Aiwa was a Japanese company that produced consumer electronics, mainly audio and video equipment. Sony bought Aiwa in 2002 and eventually discontinued the brand in 2006.

58. GoPro product, briefly CAM
GoPro is a company that makes high-definition video cameras that have a rugged design. Famously, GoPro cameras are used in extreme conditions. For example, they are often mounted on moving vehicles or used by people playing sports. Recently, two astronauts on the International Space Station inserted a GoPro camera inside a floating ball of water, and then showed the view from inside the ball of water. Amazing footage

62. Enterprise counselor TROI
Deanna Troi is a character on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” who is played by the lovely Marina Sirtis. Sirtis is a naturalized American citizen and has what I would call a soft American accent on the show. However, she was born in the East End of London and has a natural accent off-stage that is more like that of a true Cockney.

63. Fonda’s title beekeeper ULEE
“Ulee’s Gold” is a highly respected film from 1997 in which Peter Fonda plays the title role of Ulee. Ulee’s “gold” is the honey that Ulee produces. It is a favorite role for Peter Fonda and he has shared that playing Ulee brought to mind his father Henry Fonda, who himself kept a couple of hives. So if you see Peter Fonda in “Ulee’s Gold” you’re witnessing some characteristics that Peter saw in his father.

66. Banned bug spray DDT
DDT is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (don’t forget now!). DDT was used with great success to control disease-carrying insects during WWII, and when made available for use after the war it became by far the most popular pesticide. And then Rachel Carson published her famous book “Silent Spring”, suggesting there was a link between DDT and diminishing populations of certain wildlife. It was the public outcry sparked by the book, and reports of links between DDT and cancer, that led to the ban on the use of the chemical in 1972. That ban is touted as the main reason that the bald eagle was rescued from near extinction.

72. Hal who produced Laurel and Hardy films ROACH
Hal Roach was a film and television producer who is best remembered for producing the “Laurel Hardy” films, and well as the “Our Gang” and “ The Little Rascals” series of movies.

77. Emmy winner Arthur BEA
Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

83. 1970s-’80s FBI bribery sting ABSCAM
The FBI set up a sting operation in 1978, eventually targeting corruption within Congress. Central to the “scam” was a front company called “Abdul Enterprises, Ltd”, which company name led to the whole operation being nicknamed “Abscam”. At the end of the say, one senator and five House members were convicted of bribery and conspiracy. Kraim Abdul Rahman was the fictional sheik that gave “his” name to the front company.

85. Firewater HOOCH
In the Klondike gold rush, a favorite tipple of the miners was “Hoochinoo”, a liquor made by the native Alaskans. Soon after “hooch” (also “hootch”) was adopted as a word for cheap whiskey.

88. Janis’ comics husband ARLO
The comic strip “Arlo and Janis” is written by Jimmy Johnson. Introduced in 1985, Arlo and Janis are a baby booming couple with an easy approach to life, and who are very much in love.

89. Tired, but pleased to have invented the air conditioner, Carrier __ COOLED HIS HEELS
The modern form of air conditioning that is still used today was invented by Willis Carrier in 1902. He co-founded the Carrier Engineering Corporation in New York in 1915. The Carrier Corporation eventually moved to Syracuse, New York in 1937. Beyond the world of air conditioning, the Carrier name has been associated with Syracuse University’s famous Carrier Dome since it opened in 1980, and which the largest on-campus basketball stadium in the country.

92. Attendees of Connecticut’s Battell Chapel YALIES
Battell Chapel on the campus of Yale University is a High Victorian Gothic building built using rough brown sandstone. The church opened in 1876 as a Civil War memorial.

94. Orange-nosed Muppet ELMO
The man behind/under the character Elmo on “Sesame Street” is Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

95. Boomers’ kids XERS
The term Generation X originated in the UK where it was the name of a book by Jane Deverson. Her book detailed the results of a study of British youths in 1964, contrasting their lifestyle to those of previous generations. It was Canadian author Douglas Coupland who was responsible for popularizing the term, with his more successful publication “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture”. By the latest accepted definition, Gen-Xers were born between 1961 and 1981.

96. “__ in Provence”: Mayle best-seller A YEAR
“A Year in Provence” is an autobiographical novel published in 1989, written by Peter Mayle. This very entertaining book tells of the experiences had by Englishman Mayle and his wife in their first year living in Provence in the South of France. The BBC adapted the novel into television mini-series in 1993.

98. Bog flora SEDGE
Sedges are a family of plants that resemble grasses and rushes. Sedges are more properly called Cyperaceae.

103. Deli offering HERO
“Hero” is another name for a submarine sandwich. The hero originated in New York City in the 1800s among Italian immigrants who wanted an Italian sandwich that reminded them of home. The name “hero” was coined in the 1930s, supposedly by a food critic in the “New York Herald Tribune” when he wrote that “one had to be a hero” to finish the gigantic sandwich. Hero is a prevalent term to this day in New York City, reserved for a submarine sandwich with an Italian flavor.

104. Low pair TREYS
A trey, of clubs for example, is a name for the three of clubs in a deck of cards. The name “trey” can also be used for a domino with three pips.

105. Proving his invention of the joy buzzer to be a complete success, Adams __ SHOCKED EVERYONE
A “joy buzzer” is also known as a “hand buzzer”. It’s that practical joke device that is hidden in the palm of one person before he or she shakes hands with another. When contact is made, a button on the device causes a wound spring to unwind creating a sudden vibration that might be mistaken for an electric shock. The joy buzzer was invented in 1928 by Danish American inventor Soren Sorensen Adams.

109. 2009 World Series MVP Hideki MATSUI
Hideki Matsui is a retired Major League Baseball player from Japan, who played here in the US from 2003 to 2012. He was a power hitter and deserves his nickname “Godzilla”. He even got himself a cameo in the 2002 Japanese film “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla”. Matsui played most of US career with the New York Yankees, until 2009. When he retired in 2012 after playing the season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Mitsui signed a one-day contract with the New York Yankees, so that he could officially retire as a Yankee.

111. How-to letters DIY
Back in Ireland we don’t have “hardware stores” as such, but rather DIY Centres (and that’s the spelling of “center”). DIY is an acronym standing for “Do It Yourself”.

118. Immediately upon inventing the box camera (but not the lens cap), Eastman __ SNAPPED HIS FINGERS
George Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak Company, named after the Kodak camera that he had invented four years earlier. He came up with the name of Kodak after careful consideration. Firstly he was a big fan of the letter “K”, calling it “strong, incisive”. He also wanted a word that was short, easy to pronounce and difficult to mispronounce, and a word that was clearly unique with no prior associations. “Kodak” fit the bill.

125. Filled pastry ECLAIR
The name for the pastry known as an éclair is clearly French in origin. The French word for lightning is “éclair”, but no one seems to be too sure how it came to be used for the rather delicious bakery item.

126. Singer John ELTON
Elton John’s real name is Reginald Dwight. Sir Elton was knighted in 1998, not for his music but for his charitable work. He founded his own Elton John AIDS Foundation back in 1992.

128. Scary film street ELM
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a Wes Craven slasher-horror film, released in 1984. As I don’t do “slasher” nor “horror” I learned from crosswords that Johnny Depp was in the movie, making his feature film debut. The Elm Street in the title is located in the fictional Springwood, Ohio.

129. Pickup game side SHIRTS
In a casual game of say basketball, teams can be identified by one side wearing shirts, and the other not. You’d want me to be on the “shirts” team, trust me. Not a pretty sight on the “skins” team …

Down
1. Campsite cover TARP
Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.

2. Helper with a hunch IGOR
Igor has been the assistant to Dracula, Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein among others. Igor is almost invariably portrayed as a hunchback.

6. Toast starter BOTTOMS
Bottoms up!

8. West of “I’m No Angel” MAE
“I’m No Angel” is an 1933 film starring Mae West and a very young Cary Grant who just making a name for himself in Hollywood. “I’m No Angel” gives us some iconic Mae West quotations:

– Come up and see me sometime.
– Beulah, peel me a grape.
– It’s not the men in your life that counts, it’s the life in your men.
– When I’m good I’m very good. But when I’m bad I’m better.

11. Portuguese pronoun ELA
“Ela” is Portuguese for “she”.

13. Burgundy bud AMI
A male friend in France is “un ami”, and a female friend is “une amie”.

The Burgundy region of France is famous for its wine production. If you’re looking at a label that isn’t translated into English though, you’ll see Burgundy written in French, namely “Bourgogne”.

14. “Harry Potter” garden pest GNOME
In the world of “Harry Potter”, gnomes are beasts that infest the gardens of homes owned by wizards.

15. Singer O’Connor SINEAD
Sinéad O’Connor is a singer-songwriter from Dublin, a somewhat outspoken and controversial character. My sister-in-law was in the same class as her in high school, and she tells me that Sinéad stood out among her peers even back then.

16. After inventing the forerunner to the modern toilet, Harington __ FLUSHED WITH PRIDE
Sir John Harington was an author and a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England. However, Harington is perhaps best remembered as the inventor of the flush toilet. Our slang term “john” meaning “toilet”, is thought to be a reference to John Harington.

24. Pet shop fish TETRAS
The neon tetra is a freshwater fish, native to parts of South America. The tetra is a very popular aquarium fish and millions are imported into the US every year. Almost all of the imported tetras are farm-raised in Asia and very few come from their native continent.

25. Miler Sebastian COE
Sebastian Coe is a retired middle distance runner from the UK who won four Olympic medals including golds in the 1500m in 1980 and 1984. After retiring from athletics, Coe went into politics and served as a Member of Parliament from 1992 to 1997. He headed up London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

32. Checkers cry KING ME!
In the game of checkers, when a “man” reaches the other side of the board, it is promoted to “king”.

36. Do followers RE MI
Do re mi fa sol la ti do …

37. German sub U-BOAT
U-boat stands for the German “Unterseeboot” (undersea boat). U-boats were primarily used in WWII to enforce a blockade against enemy commercial shipping, with a main objective being to cut off the supplies being transported to Britain from the British colonies and the US. The epic fight for control of the supply routes became known as the Battle of the Atlantic.

38. Low point NADIR
The nadir is the direction pointing immediately below a particular location (through to the other side of the Earth for example). The opposite direction, that pointing immediately above, is called the zenith.

39. To celebrate inventing his revolutionary engine, Watt __ BLEW OFF SOME STEAM
James Watt was a Scottish inventor, a man who figured prominently in the Industrial Revolution in Britain largely due to the improvements he made to the fledgling steam engine. The SI unit of power is called the watt, named in his honor.

44. Hersey’s bell town ADANO
“A Bell for Adano” is a novel written by John Hersey. Hersey’s story is about an Italian-American US Army officer, Major Joppolo, who found a replacement for a town’s bell stolen by fascists. “A Bell for Adano” was made into a film in 1945, the same year the novel won a Pulitzer.

45. Mesoamerican language family MAYAN
The Maya civilization held sway in Central America and Mexico from about 350 AD until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s.

Mesoamerica is a region extending from Central Mexico, south to Costa Rica. It is known as an area where societies flourished prior to the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries.

48. Coneflower genus ECHINACEA
Echinacea is a group of flowering plants in the daisy family. There are nine species of echinacea, which are also called “coneflowers”. The flower has a spiny central disk that resembles a sea urchin, hence the name of the genus; “echino” is Greek for “sea urchin”.

50. Infrequently, to Dickinson SELDOMLY
On a roadtrip around the country a few years ago, my wife and I had a very disappointing stop in Amherst, Massachusetts intending to visit the old home of Emily Dickinson. We hadn’t done our homework and failed to note that the home was only open for tours on certain days of the week, and not the day we were there (so be warned!). Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 1800 poems in her lifetime, with less than a dozen published before she died in 1886. Emily’s younger sister discovered the enormous collection, and it was published in batches over the coming decades. Try this one for size:

So set its sun in thee,
What day is dark to me –
What distance far,
So I the ships may see
That touch how seldomly
Thy shore?

53. Luxury SUV ACURA MDX
Acura is a division of the Honda Motor Company, their luxury brand. As an aside, Infiniti is the equivalent luxury brand for the Nissan Motor Company, and Lexus is the more luxurious version of Toyota’s models.

59. Drummer Van Halen ALEX
Van Halen is a heavy metal band formed in Pasadena, California back in 1972. Brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen originally called the band Mammoth, changing the name to Van Halen in 1974 when they found out there was another Mammoth playing the circuit. Early on, the brothers were renting a sound system from David Lee Roth, and they decided to save some money by bringing him into the band and saving on the rental fee!

71. The “I” in I.M. Pei IEOH
I. M. Pei (full name: Ieoh Ming Pei) is an exceptional American architect who was born in China. Of Pei’s many wonderful works, my favorite is the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, especially the Glass Pyramid in the courtyard.

75. Carlo Levi’s “Christ Stopped at __” EBOLI
Carlo Levi was an Italian-Jewish painter, writer and political activist. He was one of the founders of the anti-fascist movement called Giustizia e Libertà in 1929, and his activities with the group led to his exile to the impoverished south of Italy. He wrote his most famous book based on his experiences in exile, and called it “Christ Stopped at Eboli”.

79. Prayer counter’s beads ROSARY
The Rosary is a set of prayer beads used in the Roman Catholic tradition. The name “Rosary” comes from the Latin “rosarium”, the word for a “rose garden” or a “garland of roses”. The term is used figuratively, in the sense of a “garden of prayers”.

81. Poetic lament ELEGY
An elegy is a mournful poem or funeral song, also known as a dirge. Perhaps the most famous elegy in the English language is that written by Thomas Gray, completed in 1750. His “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is the source of many oft-quoted phrases, including:

– Celestial fire
– Far from the Madding Crowd
– Kindred spirit

86. Fat Albert catchphrase HEY HEY HEY!
Fat Albert is a character who was created by comedian Bill Cosby. The character starred in an animated television series called “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” that originally aired from 1972 to 1085. Fat Albert was voiced by Bill Cosby himself, and his catchphrase was “hey hey hey!”

100. They’re loaded SOUSES
The word “souse” dates back to the 14th century and means “to pickle, steep in vinegar”. In the early 1600s the usage was applied to someone “pickled” in booze, a drunkard.

102. Matzo meals SEDERS
The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. One of the traditions at the meal is that the youngest child at the table asks “The Four Questions”, all relating to why this night is different from all other nights in the year:

– Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?
– Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?
– Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
– Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

Matzo is a unleavened bread, that is very brittle. The bread is crushed, creating Matzo meal that is then formed into balls using eggs and oil as a binder. The balls are usually served in a chicken stock.

110. Eponymous skater Paulsen AXEL
An Axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. It was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

113. Indian tourist city AGRA
The Indian city of Agra is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

– The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
– Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
– Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal 

119. Woodcutter Baba ALI
There is some controversy about the story “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” in that it has been suggested it was not part of the original collection of Arabic tales called “One Thousand and One Nights”. The suggestion is that the Ali Baba tale was added by one of the European translators of the collection.

120. Ryder Cup number PAR
The Ryder Cup trophy was donated to the game of golf by Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur. Ryder made his money selling garden seeds in small packets. He only took up golf when he was in his fifties but became quite the enthusiast and eventually donated the trophy in 1927, when it was valued at 100 guineas.

122. U.N. workers’ group ILO
The ILO (International Labour Organization) is an agency now administered by the UN which was established by the League of Nations after WWI. The ILO deals with important issues such as health and safety, discrimination, child labor and forced labor. The organization was recognized for its work in 1969 when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

123. Early Beatles bassist Sutcliffe STU
Stu Sutcliffe was one of the original four members of The Silver Beatles (as The Beatles were known in their early days), along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Sutcliffe apparently came up with name “Beatles” along with John Lennon, as a homage to their hero Buddy Holly who was backed by the “Crickets”. By all reports, Sutcliffe wasn’t a very talented musician and was more interested in painting. He went with the group to Hamburg, more than once, but he eventually left the Beatles and went back to art school, actually studying for a while at the Hamburg College of Art. In 1962 in Hamburg, Sutcliffe collapsed with blinding headaches. He died in the ambulance on the way to hospital, his death attributed to cerebral paralysis.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Squabble TIFF
5. “Dr. Strangelove” subject A-BOMB
10. Packs again, at the checkout RE-BAGS
16. Tasseled top FEZ
19. Shivering state AGUE
20. Lite to the max NO-CAL
21. Sellers of used texts ALUMNI
22. Vientiane local LAO
23. In inventing his elevator, Otis __ ROSE TO THE OCCASION
26. Troop-lifting gp. USO
27. 1985, for Marty McFly PRESENT
28. Producer of steamy fare? WOK
29. Some dorm rooms MESSES
31. Nervously testing his new invention, the Aqua-Lung, Cousteau __ TOOK A DEEP BREATH
37. Open, as a deadbolt UNBAR
41. Oscar winner Sorvino MIRA
42. Square on a game square TILE
43. Winning the lottery, for most DREAM
46. Soft wood BALSA
47. Saw logs SNORE
49. Periodontist’s concern GUMS
51. Old Norse poetry collection EDDA
52. Black Sea port ODESSA
54. In inventing the hot air balloon, the Montgolfier brothers __ GOT CARRIED AWAY
57. Old Sony brand AIWA
58. GoPro product, briefly CAM
60. New branch SHOOT
61. Thin plate LAMINA
62. Enterprise counselor TROI
63. Fonda’s title beekeeper ULEE
65. Concert finish? -INA
66. Banned bug spray DDT
67. Slew TON
68. Roadside light FLARE
70. Vein locales MINES
72. Hal who produced Laurel and Hardy films ROACH
74. Striped-shirt wearer REF
76. Too easy LAX
77. Emmy winner Arthur BEA
78. Rail vehicle TRAM
80. Doing business OPEN
83. 1970s-’80s FBI bribery sting ABSCAM
85. Firewater HOOCH
87. Certain screecher OWL
88. Janis’ comics husband ARLO
89. Tired, but pleased to have invented the air conditioner, Carrier __ COOLED HIS HEELS
92. Attendees of Connecticut’s Battell Chapel YALIES
94. Orange-nosed Muppet ELMO
95. Boomers’ kids XERS
96. “__ in Provence”: Mayle best-seller A YEAR
98. Bog flora SEDGE
99. Take-off programs? DIETS
101. Middling grades CEES
103. Deli offering HERO
104. Low pair TREYS
105. Proving his invention of the joy buzzer to be a complete success, Adams __ SHOCKED EVERYONE
109. 2009 World Series MVP Hideki MATSUI
111. How-to letters DIY
112. Big memory unit TERABIT
117. Can AXE
118. Immediately upon inventing the box camera (but not the lens cap), Eastman __ SNAPPED HIS FINGERS
124. Hot brew TEA
125. Filled pastry ECLAIR
126. Singer John ELTON
127. Stink REEK
128. Scary film street ELM
129. Pickup game side SHIRTS
130. Outfielder’s “I don’t got it!” YOURS!
131. Additions ANDS

Down
1. Campsite cover TARP
2. Helper with a hunch IGOR
3. Combine FUSE
4. Bank statement entries FEES
5. Not allowed A NO-NO
6. Toast starter BOTTOMS
7. Scot’s “Crikey!” OCH!
8. West of “I’m No Angel” MAE
9. Poison carriers BLOW-DARTS
10. Hullabaloo RACKET
11. Portuguese pronoun ELA
12. Tour vehicle BUS
13. Burgundy bud AMI
14. “Harry Potter” garden pest GNOME
15. Singer O’Connor SINEAD
16. After inventing the forerunner to the modern toilet, Harington __ FLUSHED WITH PRIDE
17. Facility EASE
18. Menageries ZOOS
24. Pet shop fish TETRAS
25. Miler Sebastian COE
30. Transmit continuously, as video STREAM
32. Checkers cry KING ME!
33. Buck back? -AROO
34. Where to go whole hog? PIG ROAST
35. Spill, with “out” BLURT
36. Do followers RE MI
37. German sub U-BOAT
38. Low point NADIR
39. To celebrate inventing his revolutionary engine, Watt __ BLEW OFF SOME STEAM
40. Besiege ASSAIL
44. Hersey’s bell town ADANO
45. Mesoamerican language family MAYAN
48. Coneflower genus ECHINACEA
50. Infrequently, to Dickinson SELDOMLY
53. Luxury SUV ACURA MDX
55. Tiptop A-ONE
56. Census info, e.g. DATA
59. Drummer Van Halen ALEX
64. Like some seals EMBOSSED
66. Tie DRAW
69. Latin wings ALAE
71. The “I” in I.M. Pei IEOH
73. Fossil fuel transport COALER
74. Hustled RACED
75. Carlo Levi’s “Christ Stopped at __” EBOLI
79. Prayer counter’s beads ROSARY
81. Poetic lament ELEGY
82. Holders of glasses NOSES
84. Cleaning supplies CLOTHS
85. Payroll addition HIREE
86. Fat Albert catchphrase HEY HEY HEY!
90. “Shucks” HECK
91. Unwelcome look LEER
93. Opposite of ahead ASTERN
97. Cheer on ROOT FOR
100. They’re loaded SOUSES
102. Matzo meals SEDERS
106. Piece of cake CINCH
107. YouTube find, for short VID
108. Helmut’s denials NEINS
109. Partner MATE
110. Eponymous skater Paulsen AXEL
113. Indian tourist city AGRA
114. “Where’ve you __?” BEEN
115. Inflamed IRED
116. Tut relatives TSKS
119. Woodcutter Baba ALI
120. Ryder Cup number PAR
121. Service station of a sort PIT
122. U.N. workers’ group ILO
123. Early Beatles bassist Sutcliffe STU

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2 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 14 Dec 14, Sunday”

  1. Hi Bill and solvers!
    Managed to eke out the solution, but not very quickly.
    Last fill was EBOLI.
    Impressive long answers!

  2. Hi Pookie !

    I did not want you to be alone in the comments section, today, so I want add a little joke I came across on 'Elevators'. ;-D)

    On 23 Across 'In inventing his elevators, Otis …. Rose to the Occasion.'

    An American, visiting London on business, was frantically pressing the elevator button, in an office building, because he was running late … so the British security guard came over.

    Brit Guard – Is everything Okay, sir ?
    American – Your damn elevators are too slow !

    Guard – No worries sir, its a busy time of the day. The lift will be here shortly.
    American – You mean – the elevator.

    Guard – No sir, I mean the lift.
    American – It's called ELEVATOR.
    Guard – No, it's called LIFT.

    American – Well, you should know, we invented the thing called Elevator.

    Guard – But we invented the language called English.

    The British and the Americans are two peoples separated by a common language. – George bernard Shaw.

    Have a good week, all.

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