LA Times Crossword Answers 21 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: Mike Peluso
THEME: It’s a Start … each of today’s themed answers comes from a common two-word phrase. The second word of that common phrase has been changed by adding an A and repeating the first letter:

25A. Speech at a revival? TENT ADDRESS (from “tent dress”)
27A. Variety of stars on a clear night? COSMIC ARRAY (from “cosmic ray”)
56A. Only matchmaker in town? LONE ARRANGER (from “Lone Ranger”)
83A. Approval from above? HEAVEN ASSENT (from “heaven-sent”)
114A. St. Louis tourist? ARCH ARRIVAL (from “archrival”)
119A. Rap sheet listing? BACK ARRESTS (from “backrests”)
36D. Ambush during a “wrestling” match? THUMB ATTACK (from “thumbtack”)
41D. Extra clothes? SPARE ATTIRE (from “spare tire”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 18m 25s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Anjou relative BOSC
Bosc is a cultivar of the European Pear grown in the northwest of the United States. The Bosc is that pear with a skin the color of a potato, with a long neck. I always seem to use the potato as my point of reference. How Irish am I …?

The Anjou pear is a cultivar of the European Pear. The Anjou pear is thought to have originated in Belgium or France (Anjou is a province in the Loire Valley of western France).

9. Chimú conquerors INCAS
The Chimú people ruled the Kingdom of Chimor on the northern coast of Peru from about 850 to 1470. As the Incan Empire expanded through western South America, Chimor was the last kingdom to resist conquest, but succumb it did. The greatest surviving ruin of the Chimú civilization if the city of Chan Chan located near the modern Peruvian city of Trujillo.

19. Russian city near the Ukraine border OREL
Orel (also Oryol) is a city lying on the Oka River, just over 200 miles SSW of Moscow. Orel was one of the cities occupied by Germany during WWII. It was liberated in 1943, but had been almost completely destroyed.

20. Will-wisp connector -O’-THE-
The terms “jack-o’-lantern” and “will-o’-the-wisp” are colloquial names for “ignis fatuus”. Ignis fatuus is an eerie light seen at night over bogs and marshes, caused by the spontaneous oxidation (burning) of phosphine and/or methane that emanates from the bog.

21. Fed. security T-NOTE
A Treasury note (T-Note) is a government debt that matures in 1-10 years. A T-Note has a coupon (interest) payment made every six months. The T-note is purchased at a discount to face value, and at the date of maturity can be redeemed at that face value. A T-Bill is a similar financial vehicle, but it matures in one year or less, and a T-Bond matures in 20-30 years.

23. Black Sea region ASIA MINOR
Asia Minor is also known as Anatolia. It is the geographic part of Asia that protrudes out into the west, towards Europe, and is roughly equivalent to modern-day Turkey.

The Black Sea is in southeastern Europe just south of Ukraine. In the north of the Black Sea is the Crimean Peninsula.

27. Variety of stars on a clear night? COSMIC ARRAY (from “cosmic ray”)
Victor Hess was the physicist who discovered cosmic rays, winning him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1936. Up until Hess did his experiments, it was believed that the ionizing radiation in the atmosphere originated from the Earth. Hess took measurements himself in a balloon at various altitudes (incurring some personal risk) and showed that the radiation did indeed decrease up to about 1km, but then started to increase again as the atmosphere thinned. This showed that we experience radiation at ground level that originates in outer space, a radiation later termed “cosmic rays”.

30. 1969 Three Dog Night hit ONE
The rock band Three Dog Night had its first and biggest success back in 1969 with the Harry Nilsson song “One”. The song is perhaps best known for it’s opening words, “One is the loneliest number …” Three Dog Night took their name from an Australian expression. Apparently indigenous Australians would sleep in a hole in the ground alongside their tame dingos. On a cold night, they would huddle up to two dingos, and if it was really, really cold, it was a “three dog night”.

32. Protected whale SEI
The Sei Whale is a type of baleen whale found almost all over the world in deep water, except in the extreme temperatures of the tropics and the poles. “Sei” is the Norwegian word for pollock, and the Sei whale was given its name as it appears of the coast of Norway at the same time as the pollock, feeding on the same abundant supply of plankton.

33. Scand. kingdom NOR
Norway has been ranked as the country in the world with the highest standard of living almost every year since 2001. Norway is rich in natural resources and has a relatively low population. The people benefit from a comprehensive social security system, subsidized higher education for all citizens and universal health care. And Norway is famous for her success at the Winter Olympic Games, having won more gold medals than any other nation in the world.

44. Essen exclamation ACH!
Essen is a large industrial city located on the River Ruhr in western Germany.

47. Metz milk LAIT
The city of Metz is in the northeast of France, close to the German border. Given the proximity to Germany, Metz has both a strong German tradition and a French tradition. Metz was handed over to the French following WWI, after nearly 50 years of German rule. It quickly fell back into German hands in 1940 during WWII, with many German officers delighted to have back the city of their birth. Perhaps because of this long association with Germany, the US Army under General Patton encountered stiff resistance when liberating Metz in 1944.

48. Grand venue OLE OPRY
“The Grand Ole Opry” started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.

52. Transp. to the Hamptons LIRR
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the commuter rail service that runs all over Long Island, New York with 124 stations and 700 miles of track. More people use the LIRR than any other commuter railroad in the US. It is also the only commuter railroad in the country that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

53. Like Vivaldi’s “Spring” IN E
Antonio Vivaldi was one of the great composers of the Baroque period. Vivaldi achieved fame and success within in his own lifetime, notoriety that faded soon after he died. His music has reemerged in recent decades and most people are familiar with at least part of his most famous composition, the violin concerto called “The Four Seasons”. Vivaldi was nicknamed “The Red Priest” because he was indeed a priest, and he had red hair.

54. First name in spydom MATA
Mata Hari was the stage name used by Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, born in the Netherlands in 1876. After an unsuccessful and somewhat tragic marriage, Zella moved to Paris in 1903 where she struggled to make a living. By 1905 she was working as an exotic dancer and using the name Mata Hari. She was a successful courtesan, notably moving in various circles of high-ranking military officers. She apparently worked as a double agent, both for the French and the Germans. When Mata Hari was accused by the French of passing information to the enemy, she was tried, found guilty and executed by firing squad in 1917 at the height of WWI.

56. Only matchmaker in town? LONE ARRANGER (from “Lone Ranger”)
“The Lone Ranger” was both a radio and television show, dating back to its first radio performance in 1933 on a Detroit station. The line “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” was a device used in the storyline to signal that a riding sequence was starting, so cue the music!

60. Angling tool ROD
We use the verb “to angle” to mean “to fish” because “angel” was an Old English word for a hook.

61. Ora pro __ NOBIS
“Ora pro nobis” translates from Latin as “pray for us”. It is a common term used in the Roman Catholic tradition and is often shortened to “OPN”.

63. Gershwin’s “Rialto Ripples,” e.g. RAG
“Rialto Ripples” is a 1917 novelty rag that George Gershwin wrote early in his career. It was Gershwin’s first commercial success and pre-dates his mega-hit “Swanee” by a couple of years.

64. Gobi abode YURT
A yurt is a wood-framed dwelling that is used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. Although a yurt is a substantial structure, it is of course extremely portable.

The large desert in Asia called the Gobi lies in northern China and southern Mongolia. The Gobi desert is growing at an alarming rate, particularly towards the south. This “desertification” is caused by increased human activity. The Chinese government is trying to halt the desert’s progress by planting great swaths of new forest, the so called “Green Wall of China”.

65. Missouri NFL team CHIEFS
The Kansas City Chiefs professional football team started out as the Dallas Texans, in 1960.

69. Rum __ Tugger: “Cats” character TUM
Rum Tum Tugger is one of the characters in T. S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. Rum Tum Tugger also appears in the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats”, the musical based on Eliot’s book. In the musical, Rum Tum Tugger’s persona was written as a homage to Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones. So, the character tends to strut around the stage a lot.

71. More, on a score PIU
“Più” is the Italian word for “more” and is often seen on musical scores, as in “più allegro” (more quickly) and “più mosso” (with more movement).

75. Mosque leader IMAM
An imam is a Muslim leader, often the person in charge of a mosque or perhaps a Muslim community.

77. Hush-hush maritime org. ONI
The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the oldest of the US intelligence services. The ONI was set up in 1882 to determine the state of advancement of foreign naval forces.

87. Aleutian island ATKA
Atka Island is the largest of the Andreanof Islands, an island group in the Aleutian chain in southwest Alaska. There are about 100 inhabitants on Atka Island, almost all of whom live in the city of Atka.

88. Financial pros CPAS
Certified public accountant (CPA)

90. Jeanne d’Arc, e.g.: Abbr. STE
Joan of Arc (also Jeanne d’Arc, her birth name) led the French Army successfully into battle a number of times during the Hundred Years War with England. When she was eventually captured, Joan was tried in Rouen, the seat of the occupying English government in France at that time. There she was burned at the stake having been found guilty of heresy. Joan of Arc was canonized some 600 years later, in 1920, and is now one of the patron saints of France.

91. Buck ending -AROO
The American English word “buckaroo” comes from “vaquero”, the Spanish for cowboy.

94. Badminton item RACQUET
The game of badminton was developed in the mid-1700s by British military officers in India. There was already an old game called battledore and shuttlecock, so the creation of badminton was essentially the addition of a net and boundary lines for play. The game was launched officially as a sport in 1873 at Badminton House in Gloucestershire in England, giving it the name that we now use.

96. Query indicating betrayal ET TU
It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?), in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life just before he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

97. Mil. addresses APOS
Army Post Office (APO)

98. Sturgeon delicacy ROE
“Caviar” is the roe of a large fish that has been salted and seasoned, and especially the roe of a sturgeon. Beluga caviar comes from the beluga sturgeon, found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It is the most expensive type of caviar in the world. 8 ounces of US-farmed beluga caviar can be purchased through Amazon.com for just over $850, in case you’re feeling peckish …

99. Invite to one’s penthouse, say ASK UP
Originally, the term “penthouse” was used to describe a modest building attached to a main structure. In fact, in centuries past, the manger in which Jesus was born was often referred to as a penthouse. The modern, more luxurious connotation dates back to the early twenties.

107. Frau, across the Rhine: Abbr. MME
The river running through Europe that we know in English as the Rhine, is called “Rhein” in German, “Rhin” in French and “Rijn” in Dutch.

108. That, in Tampico ESA
Tampico is a port city in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

109. Eastern path TAO
The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.

110. Bart Simpson catchphrase AY, CARAMBA
Bart Simpson apparently uses the expression “Ay, caramba!” when he is positively surprised about something, often something related to a female I am told …

114. St. Louis tourist? ARCH ARRIVAL (from “archrival”)
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest monument in the United States. It was designed by Eero Saarinen, with the help of structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel. They did their design work back in 1947, but construction wasn’t started until 1963. In 1980, a daredevil took it upon himself to parachute onto the top of the arch intending to further jump from the apex of the arch and parachute to the ground. He hit the arch alright, and slid all the way down one of the arches to his death. No comment …

119. Rap sheet listing? BACK ARRESTS (from “backrests”)
A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.

121. Heathrow lander AEROPLANE
London’s Heathrow handles handles more international passengers than any other airport in the world, and is the third busiest airport around the globe in terms of passenger traffic (after Atlanta and Beijing).

124. Milieu for Sharks and Penguins RINK
The San Jose Sharks hockey team play their home games at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, a venue that we locals call “the Shark Tank”.

The Penguins are the professional hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They have been around since 1967, one of the first expansion teams when the NHL grew from six to twelve teams.

125. Nevada city on I-80 ELKO
The city of Elko, Nevada came into being in 1868 as a settlement built around the eastern end of a railway line that was constructed from California and that was destined for Utah. When that section of the line was completed, the construction crews moved on towards the Nevada/Utah border, and the settlement was left behind to eventually form the city of Elko

126. Literature Nobelist Gide ANDRE
André Gide was an author from Paris who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947. His works were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Catholic Church in 1952.

128. Barrie baddie SMEE
In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on the pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.

Down
1. Former Heathrow lander BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was one of the two airlines that were merged in 1974 to form British Airways (the other was British European Airways).

3. Ocho menos dos SEIS
In Spanish, eight minus two (ocho menos dos) is six (seis).

6. View from Catania ETNA
Catania is the second largest city on the island of Sicily (after Palermo). Catania has a long and rich cultural history, and today is best known as a center for technology industries earning it the nickname of the “European Silicon Valley”.

18. Bologna bone OSSO
Bologna is a city in northern Italy. The city is home to the University of Bologna that was founded way back in 1088. The University of Bologna is the oldest existing university in the world.

24. Villainous “Austin Powers” alter ego MINI-ME
The actor Verne Troyer is best known for playing the character Mini-Me in the “Austin Powers” series of films. Troyer suffers from a form of dwarfism, and at a height of only 2 ft 8 in is one of the shortest men in the world.

28. Florida’s __ Island AMELIA
Amelia Island is an island off the coast of Florida. It is one of the chain of barrier islands off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina called the Sea Islands. The island was named for the daughter of British King George II, Princess Amelia.

34. Synthetic silk RAYON
Rayon is a little unusual in the textile industry in that it is not truly a synthetic fiber, but nor can it be called a natural fiber. Rayon is produced from naturally occurring cellulose that is dissolved and then reformed into fibers.

39. Old game show prop that contestants didn’t want to hear GONG
NBC’s “The Gong Show” only ran from 1976 to 1978, but it always seems to be showing somewhere on cable TV. I suppose the show was a forerunner of today’s “America’s Got Talent”, in that it was a talent show in which the acts can be cut off in mid-performance by the sounding of a gong (just like the 3 buzzers on “Talent”). Despite all the terrible acts that appeared, some famous names made it after the show e.g. Boxcar Willy, Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) and Andrea McArdle (played “Annie” on Broadway).

42. Fromm’s “The __ Loving” ART OF
Erich Fromm was a German psychologist. Fromm studied extensively the work of Sigmund Freud, and became very critical of his theories. He was also noted for his political views, and had a socialist leaning. He spent some time in the US and was active in the Socialist Party of America, in the fifties when McCarthyism was running rampant.

51. Isabella, por ejemplo REINA
In Spanish, a queen (reina) was Isabella, for example (por ejemplo).

Queen Isabella I of Castile was recognized as a formidable sovereign, and was perceived as a joint ruler with her husband, King Ferdinand II of Aragon. The pair united their two kingdoms in a move that heralded the unification of Spain.

58. Melodious piece ARIOSO
An arioso (plural “ariosi”) is a solo vocal piece in a classical work such as an opera or an oratorio. An arioso’s structure lies somewhere between that of a full-blown aria and speech-like recitative.

59. Ostrich’s cousin RHEA
The rhea is a flightless bird native to South America. The rhea takes its name from the Greek titan Rhea, an apt name for a flightless bird as “rhea” comes from the Greek word meaning “ground”.

66. Slangy veto IXNAY
Pig Latin is in effect a game. One takes the first consonant or consonant cluster of an English word and moves it to the end of the word, and then adds the letters “ay”. So the Pig Latin for the word “nix” is “ix-n-ay” … ixnay, and for “scram” is “am-scr-ay”

70. Dugong relative MANATEE
Manatees, also known as sea cows, are very large marine mammals that can grow to 12 feet in length. The manatee is believed to have evolved from four-legged land mammals and probably shares a common ancestor with the elephant. The manatee’s upper lip somewhat resembles the trunk of an elephant in that it is prehensile, and can be used to grip it’s food.

The dugong is a marine mammal that is related to the manatees. A close relative of now-extinct Steller’s sea cow, the dugong is in danger of extinction itself as hunters prize the animal for its meat and oil. The name “dugong” is Tagalog, which derives from the Malay “duyung” meaning “lady of the sea”.

73. Gulf of Guinea capital ACCRA
Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

74. __ bar TAPAS
“Tapa” is the Spanish word for “lid”, and there is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

76. Cuban patriot José MARTI
José Martí was a Cuban writer and political activist who became a symbol for his country’s movement to gain independence from Spain in the 1800s, earning him the nickname “Apostle of Cuban Independence”. Martí was killed in action in a battle against Spanish troops in 1895.

78. Javert’s rank: Abbr. INSP
Inspector Javert is the main antagonist in “Les Misérables”, the great novel by Victor Hugo. There’s a famous scene in the musical version of “Les Miserables”, when Javert commits suicide by jumping into the River Seine. In term of “special effects” in musical theater, it’s quite clever …

96. As one EN MASSE
“En masse” is a French term, which is best translated as “as a group”.

97. Angels’ home ANAHEIM
The Anaheim Angels baseball team are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim.

102. Glitzy winter event, with “the” OSCARS
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the organization that gives the annual Academy Awards also known as the “Oscars”. The root of the name “Oscar” is hotly debated, but what is agreed is that the award was officially named “Oscar” in 1939. The first Academy Awards were presented at a brunch in 1929 with an audience of just 29 people. The Awards ceremony is a slightly bigger event these days …

110. “The Winner Takes It All” singers ABBA
I am an unapologetic fan of ABBA’s music. ABBA was of course the Swedish group who topped the charts in the seventies and eighties. The name ABBA is an acronym formed from the first letters of the given names of each of the band members: Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid. Early in their careers, the four fell in love and formed two married couples: Agnetha and Bjorn, and Benny and Anni-Frid. However, at the height of their success, the relationships became strained and both couples divorced.

112. Kept in the loop, briefly CCED
I wonder do the kids of today know that “cc” stands for carbon copy, and do they have any idea what a carbon copy was? Do you remember how messy carbon paper was to handle?

113. Mil. rations MRES
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) comes in a lightweight package that’s easy to tote around. The MRE replaced the more cumbersome Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1981, a meal-in-a-can. In turn, the MCI had replaced the C-ration in 1958, a less sophisticated meal-in-a-can with a more limited choice.

115. Secretary of Education Duncan ARNE
Long before Arne Duncan became Secretary of Education he was a professional basketball player, but not in the NBA. He played for the National Basketball League of Australia, for the Eastside Spectres in Melbourne.

117. “My Way” lyricist ANKA
The song “My Way” has lyrics that were written by Paul Anka in 1969, but the tune itself was composed two years earlier by Claude François and Jacques Revaux. The song had been released with completely different lyrics in France as “Comme d’habitude” (“As Usual”). When Anka heard the song on television in Paris he sought out and obtained the rights to use it himself, for free. Supposedly, “Comme d’habitude” has been recorded in more languages, by more artists, than any other song in the contemporary repertoire.

118. Spanish province or its capital LEON
León is a province in the autonomous community of Castile and León in the northwest of Spain. The province’s capital is the city of León, which was founded as Roman military encampment around 29 BC.

120. Nautical rope TYE
In the nautical world, a “tye” can be either a chain or a rope and is used to hoist a spar up a mast.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Anjou relative BOSC
5. Sleeveless garment VEST
9. Chimú conquerors INCAS
14. Give credit for OWE TO
19. Russian city near the Ukraine border OREL
20. Will-wisp connector -O’-THE-
21. Fed. security T-NOTE
22. Preferences LIKES
23. Black Sea region ASIA MINOR
25. Speech at a revival? TENT ADDRESS (from “tent dress”)
27. Variety of stars on a clear night? COSMIC ARRAY (from “cosmic ray”)
29. Indulged CATERED TO
30. 1969 Three Dog Night hit ONE
31. Alley prowler TOM
32. Protected whale SEI
33. Scand. kingdom NOR
34. Neaten again, as a mustache RETRIM
37. Putting up ERECTING
40. “Sorry to hear that” SO SAD
44. Essen exclamation ACH!
45. Primary MAIN
47. Metz milk LAIT
48. Grand venue OLE OPRY
50. Tag announcement YOU’RE IT!
52. Transp. to the Hamptons LIRR
53. Like Vivaldi’s “Spring” IN E
54. First name in spydom MATA
55. “My treat” ON ME
56. Only matchmaker in town? LONE ARRANGER (from “Lone Ranger”)
60. Angling tool ROD
61. Ora pro __ NOBIS
63. Gershwin’s “Rialto Ripples,” e.g. RAG
64. Gobi abode YURT
65. Missouri NFL team CHIEFS
67. “… some kind of __?” A NUT
69. Rum __ Tugger: “Cats” character TUM
71. More, on a score PIU
72. Prefix with decimal HEXA-
73. Send with an email ATTACH
75. Mosque leader IMAM
77. Hush-hush maritime org. ONI
79. Bit of mischief ANTIC
82. Word with bird or call CAT-
83. Approval from above? HEAVEN ASSENT (from “heaven-sent”)
87. Aleutian island ATKA
88. Financial pros CPAS
90. Jeanne d’Arc, e.g.: Abbr. STE
91. Buck ending -AROO
92. Like trees in the wind SWAYING
94. Badminton item RACQUET
96. Query indicating betrayal ET TU
97. Mil. addresses APOS
98. Sturgeon delicacy ROE
99. Invite to one’s penthouse, say ASK UP
100. Club for a short par-3, perhaps NINE IRON
103. Cunning SHREWD
105. I problem? EGO
107. Frau, across the Rhine: Abbr. MME
108. That, in Tampico ESA
109. Eastern path TAO
110. Bart Simpson catchphrase AY, CARAMBA
114. St. Louis tourist? ARCH ARRIVAL (from “archrival”)
119. Rap sheet listing? BACK ARRESTS (from “backrests”)
121. Heathrow lander AEROPLANE
122. Raise BREED
123. No-brainer course EASY A
124. Milieu for Sharks and Penguins RINK
125. Nevada city on I-80 ELKO
126. Literature Nobelist Gide ANDRE
127. Expensive STEEP
128. Barrie baddie SMEE
129. School official DEAN

Down
1. Former Heathrow lander BOAC
2. About OR SO
3. Ocho menos dos SEIS
4. Din CLAMOR
5. Message medium VOICEMAIL
6. View from Catania ETNA
7. Edit, in a way SHORTEN
8. Intense fear TERROR
9. __-bitty ITTY
10. Shreveport-to-Little Rock dir. NNE
11. Vanity CONCEIT
12. Reach ATTAIN
13. It may be saved SEAT
14. Grayish-pink color OLD ROSE
15. Teletype machine area WIREROOM
16. Barely managed, with “out” EKED
17. Try out TEST
18. Bologna bone OSSO
24. Villainous “Austin Powers” alter ego MINI-ME
26. Wide-screen TV spot DEN
28. Florida’s __ Island AMELIA
32. Saddle attachment STIRRUP
34. Synthetic silk RAYON
35. Budget prefix ECONO-
36. Ambush during a “wrestling” match? THUMB ATTACK (from “thumbtack”)
38. Have in stock CARRY
39. Old game show prop that contestants didn’t want to hear GONG
41. Extra clothes? SPARE ATTIRE (from “spare tire”)
42. Fromm’s “The __ Loving” ART OF
43. Twosomes DYADS
46. “Use __ lose …” IT OR
49. Freeloader LEECH
51. Isabella, por ejemplo REINA
52. Pea, e.g. LEGUME
53. Pitched properly IN TUNE
57. Indigenous NATIVE
58. Melodious piece ARIOSO
59. Ostrich’s cousin RHEA
62. Similar items SUCH
66. Slangy veto IXNAY
68. More than just this THESE
70. Dugong relative MANATEE
73. Gulf of Guinea capital ACCRA
74. __ bar TAPAS
76. Cuban patriot José MARTI
78. Javert’s rank: Abbr. INSP
80. “You don’t have to tell me” I KNOW
81. Behind bars CAGED
84. Business letter abbr. ATTN
85. More like a lemon SOURER
86. Like some golf penalties TWO-STROKE
89. Narrow victory SQUEAKER
93. B-flat equivalent A-SHARP
95. Go from coach to business, say UPGRADE
96. As one EN MASSE
97. Angels’ home ANAHEIM
101. “What a long day!” I’M BEAT!
102. Glitzy winter event, with “the” OSCARS
104. Muddied ROILED
106. Crew member OAR
110. “The Winner Takes It All” singers ABBA
111. It may be spun, in more ways than one YARN
112. Kept in the loop, briefly CCED
113. Mil. rations MRES
114. Ominous letters after “See me” ASAP
115. Secretary of Education Duncan ARNE
116. Low-lying area VALE
117. “My Way” lyricist ANKA
118. Spanish province or its capital LEON
120. Nautical rope TYE

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2 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 21 Dec 14, Sunday”

  1. Hi Bill and last minute shoppers!
    AcT OF did me in. Just couldn't see OLE OPRY and it was right in front of me. DuetS was the first entry.
    Thought the transportation to the Hamptons had to be a Limo or a Lear jet.
    Natick for me at AMELIA/ LIRR.
    Groan…

  2. The term "angle" refers to the relationship between the rod tip and line. As opposed to netting, spearing etc for fish, it means to fish using an "angle".

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