LA Times Crossword Answers 14 Feb 15, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Brad Wilber
THEME: None … Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!!!
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 14m 24s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Airline to Trondheim SAS
SAS was formerly known as Scandinavian Airlines System and is the flag carrier of three countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. SAS is based at Stockholm Arlanda Airport located just north of the Swedish capital.

Trondheim is a city in the western Norway. It is home to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, a school that I very nearly attended many moons ago. I think that would have been great fun …

4. Grounds for an umpire’s warning RACKET ABUSE
Just ask John McEnroe …

15. Nile Valley threat ASP
The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen opted to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.

17. Pandora’s Tower platform WII
“Pandora’s Tower” is role-playing video game published by Nintendo. That’s all I know …

19. Jackson’s second vice president VAN BUREN
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the US, and also served as Vice President and Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson. Although Van Buren was the first president who was born a US citizen, he was the only president whose first language wasn’t English, having grown up speaking Dutch.

Like many of the earlier US presidents, Andrew Jackson was a career military man. Jackson distinguished himself as commander of American forces during the War of 1812, particularly in the defense of New Orleans. He had a reputation of being fair to his troops, but strict. It was during this time that he was described as “tough as old hickory”, giving rise to the nickname “Old Hickory” that stuck with him for life.

25. Eleanor’s mother-in-law SARA
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the only child of Sara Delano and James Roosevelt Sr. The Delano family history in America goes back to the pilgrim Philippe de Lannoy, an immigrant of Flemish descent who arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. The family name “de Lannoy” was anglicized here in the US, to “Delano”. Franklin was to marry Eleanor Roosevelt, and apparently the relationship between Sara and her daughter-in-law was very “strained”.

27. Home of Appalachian State Univ. NCAR
Appalachian State University is located in Boone, North Carolina. The college campus is in the Blue Ridge Mountains at an elevation of 3,333 feet, making it one of highest universities east of the Mississippi River.

31. Georgia crop PECANS
The pecan is the state nut of which state in the Union? Nope, it’s not Georgia, it’s Alabama …

36. Emulating A LA
The phrase “in the style of” can be translated in “alla” in Italian and “à la” in French.

38. Triceps-strengthening equipment CURL BAR
The triceps brachii muscle is found at the back of the upper arm. The muscle’s name translates to “three-headed arm muscle”, fitting as it is actually made up of three bundles of muscles.

40. Small magazine inserts BBS
A BB gun is an air pistol or rifle that shoots birdshot known as BBs. Birdshot comes in a number of different sizes, from size 9 (0.080″ in diameter) to size FF (.23″). 0.180″ diameter birdshot is size BB, which gives the airgun its name.

41. 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”.

42. Soloist in Tchaikovsky’s “Swan’s Theme” OBOE
The famous “Swan’s Theme” from Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake” features a solo oboe.

“Swan Lake” is such a delightfully light and enjoyable ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. “Swan Lake” tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer. The ballet also features Odile, Odette’s “evil twin”. Odile is disguised to look like Odette with the goal of tricking the prince to fall in love with her. In the ballet, the roles of Odette and Odile are played by the same ballerina.

45. Amt. rarely charged MSRP
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

47. Classic film curtain tugger TOTO
Towards the end of the movie “The Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy’s little dog Toto pulls back a green curtain to reveal the true identity of the Wizard.

49. JFK, but not LAX DEM
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was the son of Joe Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald, hence the president’s double-barreled name.

52. The Thrilla in Manila, notably REMATCH
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had three memorable fights. The first was billed as the “Fight of the Century” and took place in 1971 in Madison Square Garden. It was a fight between two great boxers, both of whom were undefeated up till that point. Frazier won in a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds. A couple of years later, in 1973, Frazier lost his title to George Foreman. Ali and Frazier had a non-title rematch in 1974, with Ali coming out ahead this time, also in a unanimous decision. Later that year, Ali grabbed back the World Heavyweight Title in “The Rumble in the Jungle”, the famous “rope-a-dope” fight against George Foreman. That set the stage for the third and final fight between Ali and Frazier, “The Thrilla in Manila”. Ali won the early rounds, but Frazier made a comeback in the middle of the fight. Ali took control at the end of the bout, so much so that Frazier wasn’t able to come out of his corner for the 15th and final round. He couldn’t come out of his corner because both of his eyes were swollen shut, giving Ali a victory due to a technical knockout (TKO).

56. View from Yerevan, Armenia ARARAT
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. Ararat is a snow-capped dormant volcano with two peaks. The higher of the two, Greater Ararat, is the tallest peak in the country. Ararat takes its name from a legendary Armenian hero called Ara the Beautiful (or Ara the Handsome). According to the Book of Genesis, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat as the Great Flood subsided.

Yerevan is a the capital of Armenia, and the nation’s largest city. Yerevan was founded in 782 BC with the building of the fortress of Erebuni. That makes it one of oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world. Yerevan’s skyline is dominated by the twin peaks of Mount Ararat.

59. Hype BALLYHOO
“Ballyhoo”, meaning hype or publicity, was originally circus slang dating back to the early 1900s. No one really knows where the term comes from, but I can tell you there is a village in Co. Cork in Ireland called Ballyhooly!

62. Girl rescued by Uncle Tom EVA
Little Eva is a character in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Eva’s full name is Evangeline St. Clare.

63. Soft Cell hit with the lyric, “Once I ran to you, / Now I’ll run from you” TAINTED LOVE
Soft Cell are duo from England whose music falls into the “synthpop/technopop” genre, which is music from the eighties that features the synthesizer as a predominant instrument. Soft Cell’s biggest hit by far is a great song called “Tainted Love”, released in 1981.

64. Chemin de __ FER
“Chemin de fer” is the French for “railroad” (literally “path of iron”).

Down
1. 2009 horror film sequel SAW VI
The “Saw” franchise of movies is gruesome in the extreme. I’ve only seen a few minutes of “Saw” footage (accidentally). The stories are about imprisoned victims who are faced with having to mutilate themselves to escape. Ugh …

4. Updike’s “Rabbit __” REDUX
The 1960 novel by John Updike called “Rabbit Run” tells the story of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom as he tries to escape from his constraining, middle-class life. “Rabbit Run” is the first in a series of novels from Updike that feature the “Rabbit” character, the others being:

– “Rabbit Redux”
– “Rabbit is Rich”
– “Rabbit at Rest”
– “Rabbit Remembered”

The adjective “redux” means “returned, brought back”, and is derived from the Latin “reducere” meaning “to lead back, to bring back”.

5. “L’elisir d’__”: Donizetti opera AMORE
“L’elisir d’amore” is an opera by Donizetti, the title of which translates as “The Elixir of Love”. The opera is performed quite often today, as is the beautiful aria from the work called “Una furtiva lagrima”. “Una furtiva lagrima” translates from Italian as “A single furtive tear”.

6. Heat or Magic CAGERS
In the early days of basketball, when a ball went out of bounds possession was awarded to the player who first retrieved the ball. This led to mad scuffles off the court, often involving spectators. As the game became more organized courts were routinely “caged”, largely because of this out of bounds rule, to limit interaction with the crowd. It’s because of these cages that basketball players are sometimes referred to today as “cagers”.

8. Biblical mentor of Samuel ELI
In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh, and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel.

10. Early seal hunter ALEUT
The Aleuts live on the Aleutian Islands of the North Pacific, and on the Commander Islands at the western end of the same island chain. The Aleutian Islands are part of the United States, and the Commander Islands are in Russia.

11. “Kramer vs. Kramer” Oscar-winning director BENTON
Robert Benton is a screenwriter and film director from Texas. His directorial credits include “Kramer vs. Kramer”, “Still of the Night” and “Twilight”. His screenwriting credits are more recognizable and include “Bonnie and Clyde”, “Kramer vs. Kramer”, “What’s Up, Doc?”, and “Superman”.

12. __ Major URSA
The constellation called Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called the Big Dipper because of its resemblance to a ladle or dipper. Ursa Major also resembles a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland, the “plough”.

13. Editorial cancellation STET
“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

14. Forum infinitive ESSE
“Esse” is the Latin for “to be”. “Sum” means “I am” and “erat” means “he, she was”.

The Roman forum was the public space in the middle of a city, taking it’s name from the Latin word “forum” meaning “marketplace, town square”.

20. Software version BETA
In the world of software development, the first tested issue of a new program is usually called the “alpha” version. Expected to have a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, the alpha release is usually distributed to a small number of testers. After reported bugs have been eliminated, the refined version is called a “beta” and is released to a wider audience, but with the program clearly labeled as “beta”. The users generally check functionality and report further bugs that are encountered. The beta version feeds into a release candidate, the version that is tested just prior to the software being sold into the market, bug-free. Yeah, right …

23. Desert mount ARAB
The Arab (or Arabian) breed of horse takes its name from its original home, the Arabian Peninsula. Like any animal that humans have over-bred, the horse falls prey to genetic diseases, some of which are fatal and some of which require the horse to be euthanized.

26. Lace protector AGLET
An aglet is the plastic or metal sheath that is found on the end of a shoelace or perhaps a drawstring. The name “aglet” comes from the Old French word “aguillette” meaning “needle”.

30. Speak like Vito Corleone RASP
Mario Puzo created the Corleone Mafia family in his 1969 novel “The Godfather”. The head of the family is Vito Corleone (whose birth name was Vito Andolini), a native of Corleone in Sicily. He was given the name Corleone by immigration officers at Ellis Island.

31. Limo destination PROM
A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

The word “limousine” actually derives from the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes anyway …

32. Many a PX customer NCO
An NCO is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces. Usually such an officer is one who has earned his or her rank by promotion through the enlisted ranks. A good example would be a sergeant.

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.

35. 1968 groom, familiarly ARI
Aristotle Onassis was born to a successful Greek shipping entrepreneur in Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. However, his family lost its fortune during WWI and so Aristotle worked with his father to build up a new business empire centered on the importation of tobacco. In 1957, Aristotle founded the Greek national airline, what is today called Olympic Air, and he also got into the business of shipping oil around the world. He married Athina Livanos in 1946, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate. They had two children, including the famous Christina Onassis. Livanos divorced Onassis on discovering him in bed with the opera singer Maria Callas. Onassis ended his affair with Callas in order to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968.

44. “__ in April never came so sweet”: Shak. A DAY
“A day in April never came so sweet” is a line from William Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice”.

The title character in Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice” is Antonio. However, the most prominent character in the work is the moneylender called Shylock. When Antonio cannot repay his debt, it is Shylock who has the right to extract “a pound of flesh”.

48. One on the stump ORATOR
“To stump” can mean to go on a speaking tour during a political campaign. This peculiarly American term dates back to the 19th century. Back then a “stump speech” was an address given by someone standing on a large tree stump that provided a convenient perch to help the speaker get his or her message across to the crowd.

53. Sorbonne enrollee ELEVE
The French word “élève” can be translated as “pupil, student”.

“The Sorbonne” is the name usually used for the old University of Paris, and some of the institutions that have succeeded it.

54. Lille lasses: Abbr. MLLES
Señorita (Srta.) is Spanish, and mademoiselle (Mlle.), is French for “Miss”.

Lille is a large city in the very north of France sitting right on the border with Belgium. The name “Lille” is a derivation of the term “l’isle” meaning “the island”.

55. Grizzled HOARY
The Old English word “har” meant “gray, venerable, old”, and came into English as “hoar” (and later “hoary”) with the same meaning. The term “hoarfrost” dates back to the 13th century, and reflects the similarity of the white feathers of frost to the gray/white of an old man’s beard. The term “hoary” has also come to mean “stale, tedious from familiarity”.

59. Incan army weapon BOLA
Bolas are heavy balls connected by cords that constitute a throwing weapon. Bolas are often used to capture animals by tripping them as they run. The weapon is usually associated with gauchos, the South American cowboys, although there is evidence that the Inca army used them in battle.

61. Colorado Rockies schedule letters MDT
Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)

The Colorado Rockies are the Major League Baseball team in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies joined the league in 1993 as an expansion team, and have played at Coors Field since 1995.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Airline to Trondheim SAS
4. Grounds for an umpire’s warning RACKET ABUSE
15. Nile Valley threat ASP
16. What beeps may be EMAIL ALERTS
17. Pandora’s Tower platform WII
18. Collar attachments DOG LICENSES
19. Jackson’s second vice president VAN BUREN
21. Packed in more than OUTATE
22. One whose work is at an end? INDEXER
23. Respecting AS TO
24. Winnings, eventually POT
25. Eleanor’s mother-in-law SARA
27. Home of Appalachian State Univ. NCAR
31. Georgia crop PECANS
34. Celebratory GALA
36. Emulating A LA
37. Tell RAT
38. Triceps-strengthening equipment CURL BAR
40. Small magazine inserts BBS
41. Montana motto word ORO
42. Soloist in Tchaikovsky’s “Swan’s Theme” OBOE
43. Old connection method DIAL-UP
45. Amt. rarely charged MSRP
47. Classic film curtain tugger TOTO
49. JFK, but not LAX DEM
50. “Keep dreaming!” AS IF!
52. The Thrilla in Manila, notably REMATCH
56. View from Yerevan, Armenia ARARAT
59. Hype BALLYHOO
60. Hourly-rate offerer, often NO-TELL MOTEL
62. Girl rescued by Uncle Tom EVA
63. Soft Cell hit with the lyric, “Once I ran to you, / Now I’ll run from you” TAINTED LOVE
64. Chemin de __ FER
65. Dreamy looks EMPTY STARES
66. Venture TRY

Down
1. 2009 horror film sequel SAW VI
2. Far East fruit ASIAN PEARS
3. Campaign team member SPIN DOCTOR
4. Updike’s “Rabbit __” REDUX
5. “L’elisir d’__”: Donizetti opera AMORE
6. Heat or Magic CAGERS
7. Potter’s heat source KILN
8. Biblical mentor of Samuel ELI
9. Dish served in an edible bowl TACO SALAD
10. Early seal hunter ALEUT
11. “Kramer vs. Kramer” Oscar-winning director BENTON
12. __ Major URSA
13. Editorial cancellation STET
14. Forum infinitive ESSE
20. Software version BETA
23. Desert mount ARAB
26. Lace protector AGLET
28. Bad reception? CABLE THEFT
29. Record protector ALBUM COVER
30. Speak like Vito Corleone RASP
31. Limo destination PROM
32. Many a PX customer NCO
33. DVD menu option SUBTITLES
35. 1968 groom, familiarly ARI
39. It may be pitched ROOF
44. “__ in April never came so sweet”: Shak. A DAY
46. Rear PARENT
48. One on the stump ORATOR
51. Off-color SALTY
53. Sorbonne enrollee ELEVE
54. Lille lasses: Abbr. MLLES
55. Grizzled HOARY
56. 24-Across starter ANTE
57. Leave the path ROAM
58. Left __: rewarded A TIP
59. Incan army weapon BOLA
61. Colorado Rockies schedule letters MDT

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