LA Times Crossword Answers 29 Apr 16, Friday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Did a gondolier’s job POLED
The word “gondola” was originally limited to the famous boats that travel along the canals of Venice. When man started to fly through the air in hot air balloons, “gondola” was used for the basket in which the passenger(s) traveled. By extension, the structure carrying passengers and crew under an airship is also called a gondola, as are the cars suspended from a cable at a ski resort.

17. Caboose DERRIERE
“Derrière” is a French term meaning “back part, rear”.

The word “caboose” originally came from Middle Dutch and was the word for a ship’s galley. When the last car in a train in North America was given a stove for the comfort of the crew, it took on the name “caboose”. The term has also become slang for a person’s backside.

18. Knockoff cereal? FROSTED FAKES (from “Frosted Flakes”)
Tony the Tiger has been the mascot of Frosted Flakes cereal since the product’s introduction in 1951. As Tony would say, “They’re Gr-r-reat!” Well, I thought they were when I was a lot younger …

20. Swift’s medium AIR
Swifts are birds that are related to hummingbirds. Swifts are aptly named, with larger swift species clocked at airspeeds of over 100 miles/hour.

26. “And if __, no soul shall pity me”: King Richard III I DIE
“Richard III” is one of the more famous of William Shakespeare’s historical plays. A well-known 1955 version of the play was made for the big screen with Laurence Olivier playing the title role. The most oft-quoted words from “Richard III” are probably the opening lines “Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this sun of York”, and Richard’s plea at the climax of battle “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”

32. Charged wheels TESLAS
Tesla Motors is a manufacturer of electric vehicles based in Palo Alto, California. Tesla is noted for producing the first electric sports car, called the Tesla Roadster. The current base price of a roadster is about $100,000, should you be interested …

35. With 24-Down, course for future pundits POLI
(24D. See 35-Across SCI)
Political science (poli sci)

36. Hägar creator Browne DIK
“Hagar the Horrible” is a comic strip that was created by the late Dik Browne and is now drawn by his son, Chris Browne. “Hagar the Terrible” (not “Horrible”) was the nickname given to Dik by his sons.

37. Recalled cereal? FROOT OOPS (from “Froot Loops”)
Froot Loops (ugh!) is a breakfast cereal from Kellogg’s that has been around since 1963. The little loops come in different colors, originally red, orange and yellow, but now there are green, purple and blue loops as well. Notice I said “different colors” not “different flavors”. Each loop tastes the same, so I wonder where the color comes from …?

43. Corrida figure TORO
Spanish bullfighting is known locally as “corrida de toros”, literally “race of bulls”.

51. “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer King ELLE
The singer Elle King has a showbiz father, the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Rob Schneider.

52. MetLife competitor AFLAC
In 1999, Aflac was huge in the world of insurance but it wasn’t a household name, so a New York advertising agency was given the task of making the Aflac brand more memorable. One of the agency’s art directors, while walking around Central Park one lunchtime, heard a duck quacking and in his mind linked it with “Aflac”, and that duck has been “Aflacking” ever since …

MetLife is the familiar name for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. MetLife was founded way back in 1868, and is headquartered in New York City.

56. Court mulligan LET
There doesn’t seem to be a definitive account for the origin of the term “Mulligan”, most often used for a shot do-over in golf. There are lots of stories about golfers named Mulligan though, and I suspect one of them may be true.

62. Disorganized INCHOATE
Something described as “inchoate” is rudimentary, or lacking order.

65. Emmy-winning role for Julia ELAINE
The character called Elaine Benes, unlike the other lead characters (Jerry, Kramer and George), did not appear in the pilot episode of “Seinfeld”. NBC executives specified the addition of a female lead when they picked up the show citing that the situation was too “male-centric”.

Actress and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an alum of the sketch show “Saturday Night Live”, in which she appeared from 1982 to 1985. Her really big break came when she was chosen to play Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld”. More recently, Louis-Dreyfus can be seen playing Vice President Selina Meyer on the HBO comedy show “Veep”.

Down
1. Baskin-Robbins offering PARFAIT
A parfait is a frozen dessert made from sugar, syrup, egg and cream. The American version of this popular French dessert is a layered creation, featuring parfait cream, ice cream and flavored gelatins topped with whipped cream and possibly a liqueur. The term “parfait” is French for “perfect”.

The Baskin-Robbins chain of ice cream parlors is the largest in the word. The chain was founded by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California in 1945. The company started using the slogan “31 flavors” in 1953, suggesting that a customer could order a different flavor of ice cream on every day of every month.

3. Brand that’s swirled, not swallowed LAVORIS
Lavoris is a brand of mouthwash. Lavoris was introduced during the Civil War, when it was used as an antiseptic. It was repurposed as mouthwash in 1903.

4. Eero Saarinen and others ELIS
Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect, renowned in this country for his unique designs for public buildings such as Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Dulles International Airport Terminal, and the TWA building at JFK. The list of his lesser-known, but still impressive, works includes several buildings erected on academic campuses. For example, the Chapel and Kresge Auditorium on the MIT campus, the Emma Hartman Noyes House at Vassar College, the Law School building at the University of Chicago, and Yale’s David S. Ingalls Rink.

11. Mr. Bumble, to Oliver Twist SIR
“Please, sir. I want some more” are words spoken by the title character in the novel “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens. . Oliver is addressing Mr. Bumble, asking for an extra helping of gruel in the workhouse.

12. __ Bo TAE
Tae Bo isn’t an ancient martial art, and rather was developed as a form of aerobic exercise in the 1990s. The discipline was introduced by taekwondo expert Billy Blanks who gave it the name Tae Bo, a melding of “taekwondo” and “boxing”.

14. “The Big Bang Theory” figure GEEK
“The Big Bang Theory” is very clever sitcom aired by CBS since 2007. “The Big Bang Theory” theme song was specially commissioned for the show, and was composed and is sung by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. The theme song was released in 2007 as a single and is featured on a Barenaked Ladies greatest hits album.

15. Freebie from Adobe PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format introduced by Adobe Systems in 1993. PDF documents can be shared between users and read using many different applications, making them more universally accessible than documents saved by one particular program.

27. Middle-earth figure ELF
Middle-earth is the setting for J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” series.

30. Rock’s __ Fighters FOO
Foo Fighters are described as an alternative rock band, one formed in 1994 by the drummer from Nirvana, Dave Grohl. The term “Foo fighters” originally applied to unidentified flying objects reported by allied airmen during WWII. Spooky …

31. Penguin’s perch FLOE
Penguins are flightless aquatic birds found only in the Southern Hemisphere, mainly in Antarctica.

40. It may be wired BRA
The word “brassière” is French in origin, but it isn’t the word the French use for a “bra”. In France what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breastplate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

47. English and Irish SETTERS
The breed of dog known as a Pointer is also known as the English Pointer. There are other pointing breeds though, dogs that instinctively “point” by stopping and aiming their muzzles at game when hunting. The list of other pointing breeds includes the English Setter and the Irish Setter.

50. Neighbor of Homer NED
Ned Flanders lives next door to Homer on TV’s “The Simpsons”. Ned is voiced by actor Harry Shearer and has been around since the very first episode aired in 1989.

55. Response to a heckler AD LIB
“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage the concept of an “ad lib” is very familiar.

The original use of the verb “to heckle” was to mean questioning severely, and for many years was associated with the public questioning of parliamentary candidates in Scotland. In more recent times, the meaning has evolved into questioning that is less polite and that is directed at standup comics.

58. Indian royal RANI
“Raja” (also “rajah”) is word derived from Sanskrit that is used particularly in India for a monarch or princely ruler. The female form is “rani” (also “ranee”) and is used for a raja’s wife.

59. “The most private of private schools,” to Hugh Laurie ETON
The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders including David Cameron who took power in the last UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming (as well as 007 himself as described in the Fleming novels).

English actor and comedian Hugh Laurie used to be half of a comedy double act with Stephen Fry called simply “Fry and Laurie”. Fry and Laurie met in Cambridge University through their mutual friend, the actress Emma Thompson. Over in North America, Laurie is best known for playing the title role in the medical drama “House”.

60. Rizzoli of “Rizzoli & Isles”: Abbr. DET
“Rizzoli & Isles” is a detective drama that is inspired by the series of Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli series of novels by Tess Gerritsen. In the show, Angie Harmon plays detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander plays medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles.

62. NYC subway IRT
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the original private operator of the New York Subway when it opened in 1904. The city took over ownership of the system in 1940, but the lines originally operated by the IRT are still known by the IRT moniker.

64. IRS employee CPA
Certified public accountant (CPA)

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Did a gondolier’s job POLED
6. Wedding planner’s contact FLORIST
13. Like antique watches ANALOG
15. Freshwater flatworms PLANARIA
16. Hiker’s challenge RAVINE
17. Caboose DERRIERE
18. Knockoff cereal? FROSTED FAKES (from “Frosted Flakes”)
20. Swift’s medium AIR
21. Runner in the Alps SKI
22. Expire CEASE
26. “And if __, no soul shall pity me”: King Richard III I DIE
28. Cold cereal? PUFFED ICE (from “Puffed Rice”)
32. Charged wheels TESLAS
35. With 24-Down, course for future pundits POLI
36. Hägar creator Browne DIK
37. Recalled cereal? FROOT OOPS (from “Froot Loops”)
40. “Get off the stage!” BOO!
43. Corrida figure TORO
44. Philosophers’ subject ETHICS
48. Prohibited cereal? RAISIN BAN (from “Raisin Bran”)
51. “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer King ELLE
52. MetLife competitor AFLAC
53. Span of note ERA
56. Court mulligan LET
57. Mystery cereal? SHREDDED WHAT? (from “Shredded Wheat”)
62. Disorganized INCHOATE
65. Emmy-winning role for Julia ELAINE
66. Mooring hitch, for one ROPE KNOT
67. More thoughtful KINDER
68. Deal on a lot TRADE IN
69. Round components, maybe BEERS

Down
1. Baskin-Robbins offering PARFAIT
2. Enjoying the amusement park ON A RIDE
3. Brand that’s swirled, not swallowed LAVORIS
4. Eero Saarinen and others ELIS
5. They’re forbidden DON’TS
6. Little nipper FLEA
7. Frolic LARK
8. How some deliveries are paid ON RECEIPT
9. Brought up RAISED
10. Choler IRE
11. Mr. Bumble, to Oliver Twist SIR
12. __ Bo TAE
14. “The Big Bang Theory” figure GEEK
15. Freebie from Adobe PDF
19. Go down DIP
23. Prop up AID
24. See 35-Across SCI
25. “That’s scary!” EEK!
27. Middle-earth figure ELF
29. __ point: with limitations UP TO A
30. Rock’s __ Fighters FOO
31. Penguin’s perch FLOE
33. Edible thistle ARTICHOKE
34. “Just another minute” SOON
38. Spheroid ORB
39. Ewe or sow SHE
40. It may be wired BRA
41. Boor OAF
42. Peanut product OIL
45. Offer to a potential seeker I’LL HIDE
46. Dry __ CLEANER
47. English and Irish SETTERS
49. Like some beauty contest winners SASHED
50. Neighbor of Homer NED
54. Be offensive, in a way REEK
55. Response to a heckler AD LIB
58. Indian royal RANI
59. “The most private of private schools,” to Hugh Laurie ETON
60. Rizzoli of “Rizzoli & Isles”: Abbr. DET
61. Decrease WANE
62. NYC subway IRT
63. “__ will I” NOR
64. IRS employee CPA

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