LA Times Crossword Answers 6 Nov 12, Tuesday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Neville Fogarty
THEME: Fliers on a Pole … each of today’s answers ends with another word for a “flag”:

18A. Real attitude underlying a facade TRUE COLORS
25A. The Hulk’s alter ego BRUCE BANNER
45A. Song covered by Michael Bublé, say POP STANDARD
57A. Aunt Jemima competitor HUNGRY JACK
65A. Flier on a pole, and at the ends of 18-, 25-, 45- and 57-Across FLAG

COMPLETION TIME: 7m 59s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. Campus sports gp. NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910.

15. Irish name for Ireland EIRE
“Éire”, is the Irish word for “Ireland”. Erin is an anglicized version of “Éire”, actually corresponding to “Éirinn”, the dative case of “Éire”.

16. Christina of “Speed Racer” RICCI
Christina Ricci is an American actress who found fame on the big screen at an early age, playing the very young Wednesday Addams in the 1991 movie version of “The Addams Family”.

22. Pennsylvania in Washington, for one AVENUE
Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. is sometimes called “America’s Main Street”, as it runs between the White House and the US Capitol. The exact reason why this important thoroughfare was given the name “Pennsylvania” seems to be unclear. One favored theory is that it was a gesture to the state of Pennsylvania for moving the country’s capital from Philadelphia.

23. Summer in Lyon ETE
One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in France.

The city of Lyon in France, is also known as “Lyons” in English.

24. Sent a quick note online IMED
Even though instant messaging had been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties.

25. The Hulk’s alter ego BRUCE BANNER
In the seventies and eighties TV show “The Incredible Hulk”, Lou Ferrigno played Hulk. Hulk’s alter ego in the comics was Bruce Banner, but in the show he was called David Banner, played by Bill Bixby.

33. Woman in Poe’s “The Raven” LENORE
“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allen Poe that tells of a student who has lost the love of his life, Lenore. A raven enters the student’s bedchamber and perches on a bust of Pallas. The raven can talk, to the student’s surprise, but says nothing but the word “nevermore”. As the student questions all aspects of his life, the raven taunts him with the same comment, “nevermore”. Finally the student decides that his soul is trapped beneath the raven’s shadow and shall be lifted “nevermore” …

34. J. Paul Getty or J.R. Ewing OIL BARON
Jean Paul Getty was famous as an industrialist, but also as a grandfather who had a grandson kidnapped for ransom. John Paul Getty III was 16 years old when he was taken in Rome in 1973. The ransom demand to his father was for $17 million, a sum that he had to ask from the child’s grandfather, as he was the one with all the money. Jean Paul Getty refused to pay and 4 months later an envelope was delivered to the family containing a lock of hair and an ear. The grandfather then entered into negotiation with the kidnappers, beat them down to $2 million, and the boy was released. Getty’s grandson never really recovered. He got into drugs, and an overdose left him speechless, blind and paralyzed. Sad story …

The TV soap “Dallas” revolved around the Ewing family. The show that ran for 13 years was originally intended as a five-part mini-series, with the main characters being newlyweds Bobby and Pam Ewing. But, the devious character in the piece, Bobby’s brother J. R. Ewing, became so popular with audiences that the series was extended with J. R. at the center of the story.

36. Dubai bigwig EMIR
Dubai is one of the seven Emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy.

39. Revolutionary toy of the ’70s-’80s? SIT ‘N SPIN
The toy called a Sit ‘n Spin was made by Kenner toys. It consisted of two circular discs, one on top of the other. One disc is the base of the toy that sits on the ground, and a child sits on the second disc … and spins …

42. “Boyfriend” singer Justin BIEBER
I saw Justin Bieber on television a while back for the first time, and boy do I feel old. This heartthrob from Canada was born in 1994(!), and he is recording hit after hit. Me, I’ll stick with the Beatles …

45. Song covered by Michael Bublé, say POP STANDARD
Michael Bublé is a singer from Burnaby in British Columbia.

47. Glasgow vetoes NAES
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and sits on the River Clyde. Back in the Victorian Era, Glasgow earned a reputation for excellence in shipbuilding and was known as “Second City of the British Empire”. Glasgow shipyards were the birthplaces of such famous vessels as the Lusitania, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth.

48. Toronto’s prov. ONT
The Canadian province of Ontario takes its name from the Great Lake. In turn, Lake Ontario’s name is thought to be derived from “Ontari:io”, a Huron word meaning “great lake”. Ontario is home to the nation’s capital of Ottawa as well as Toronto, Canada’s most populous city (and capital of the province).

57. Aunt Jemima competitor HUNGRY JACK
Hungry Jack is a brand of syrup and waffles, and also mashed potatoes.

60. Perfumer Lauder ESTEE
Estée Lauder was quite the successful business woman, with a reputation as a great salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths, while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

61. “As I see it,” online IMHO
In my humble opinion (IMHO).

62. Maker of Duplo toy bricks LEGO
Lego is manufactured by Lego Group, a privately held company headquartered in Billund, Denmark. The company was founded by a carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 and the now-famous plastic interlocking blocks were introduced in 1949. The blocks were originally sold under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks” but I think “Lego” is easier to remember! The name “Lego” comes from the Danish term “leg godt” meaning “play well”.

Down
1. Emulate a beaver GNAW
Beavers build dams so that they can live in and around the slower and deeper water that builds up above the dam. This deeper water provides more protection for the beavers from predators such as bears. Beavers are nocturnal animals and do all their construction work at night.

5. Beatles tune that starts, “When I find myself in times of trouble” LET IT BE
“Let It Be” was the last album that the Beatles released as an active group playing together. The title song “Let It Be” was written by Paul McCartney, and it is clearly one of his own favorites. McCartney says that he was inspired to write the song after having had a dream about his mother (who had died some years earlier from cancer). In fact he refers to her (Mary McCartney) in the line “Mother Mary comes to me”. Paul’s second wife, Linda, is singing backing vocals on the song, the only time she is known to have done so in a Beatles recording. 18 years after that 1970 recording was made, Paul, George and Ringo sang “Let It Be” at a memorial service for Linda, who was also lost to cancer. Sad stuff, but a lovely song …

7. Champagne designation BRUT
Sparkling wines can be classified according to sweetness. These classifications are, from driest to sweetest:

– Brut Nature
– Extra Brut
– Brut
– Extra Dry
– Dry
– Semi-Dry
– Sweet

12. Sandy-colored ECRU
The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.

30. Caribbean resort ARUBA
Aruba is one of the so-called ABC Islands. The ABC Islands is the nickname given to the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean. The nickname comes from the first letters of the island names: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. All three of the ABC Islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

32. Bergen’s dummy Mortimer SNERD
Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen’s most famous character was Charlie McCarthy, but Bergen also worked with Mortimer Snerd.

37. Domino dots PIPS
White masks with black spots were commonly seen in the old Venetian Carnival. The masks were known as “domini”. The domini lent their name to the game of dominoes, due to the similarity in appearance between the mask and a domino tile.

42. Thailand’s capital BANGKOK
Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. The exact etymology of the name “Bangkok” seems unclear, although “bang” is a Thai word meaning “a village situated on a stream”.

46. “Well said” TOUCHE
“Touché” is a term from fencing, acknowledging a successful “touch” in a duel. The term has been extended to mean that a successful criticism or riposte has hit home in a conversation.

47. African river NIGER
The principal river in western Africa is the Niger, running 2,600 miles through the continent. The river is unusual in that has a boomerang shape, taking a sharp turn around the the ancient city of Timbuktu.

49. Atkins of country CHET
Chet Atkins was a guitarist famous for playing “smooth” country music that crossed over into the genre of lighter pop music.

52. Auntie of the stage MAME
The musical “Mame” opened on Broadway in 1966, with Angela Lansbury in the title role. The musical is based on the 1955 novel “Auntie Mame” written by Patrick Dennis.

54. Scott Turow work ONE L
While “One L” is a name used in general for first year law students, “One L” is also the title of an autobiographical narrative by author Scott Turow, telling of his experiences as a first year student at Harvard Law School.

55. Roman robe TOGA
In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

56. Smooch, in Staffordshire SNOG
“Snogging” is British slang of unknown origin that dates back to the end of WWII. The term is used for “kissing and cuddling”, what we call “making out” over here in the US.

58. __-dandy JIM
A jim-dandy is someone or something that is excellent. The term might possibly arise from the song “Dandy Jim of Caroline” that was popular in the 1840s.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Things to wear GARB
5. Chemists’ rooms LABS
9. One who asks too many questions PRIER
14. Campus sports gp. NCAA
15. Irish name for Ireland EIRE
16. Christina of “Speed Racer” RICCI
17. Dough dispensers ATMS
18. Real attitude underlying a facade TRUE COLORS
20. Letter to Santa, essentially WISH LIST
22. Pennsylvania in Washington, for one AVENUE
23. Summer in Lyon ETE
24. Sent a quick note online IMED
25. The Hulk’s alter ego BRUCE BANNER
30. Barnyard brayer ASS
33. Woman in Poe’s “The Raven” LENORE
34. J. Paul Getty or J.R. Ewing OIL BARON
36. Dubai bigwig EMIR
37. “… to __ it mildly” PUT
38. Piece of ice CUBE
39. Revolutionary toy of the ’70s-’80s? SIT ‘N SPIN
42. “Boyfriend” singer Justin BIEBER
44. Fr. holy woman STE
45. Song covered by Michael Bublé, say POP STANDARD
47. Glasgow vetoes NAES
48. Toronto’s prov. ONT
49. Dining room necessities CHAIRS
52. Photos at the precinct MUGSHOTS
57. Aunt Jemima competitor HUNGRY JACK
59. Auth. unknown ANON
60. Perfumer Lauder ESTEE
61. “As I see it,” online IMHO
62. Maker of Duplo toy bricks LEGO
63. Just behind the runner-up THIRD
64. Overly compliant MEEK
65. Flier on a pole, and at the ends of 18-, 25-, 45- and 57-Across FLAG

Down
1. Emulate a beaver GNAW
2. Play beginning ACT I
3. Farm butters RAMS
4. Big party BASH
5. Beatles tune that starts, “When I find myself in times of trouble” LET IT BE
6. Like some Navy rescues AIR-SEA
7. Champagne designation BRUT
8. Set eyes on SEE
9. “Ignorance is bliss,” e.g. PROVERB
10. Upset RILED
11. Clickable pic ICON
12. Sandy-colored ECRU
13. Levitate RISE
19. Humped beast CAMEL
21. Sidelong look LEER
24. Mid. name substitute INIT
25. Anoint BLESS
26. Put the check in the mail REMIT
27. Bring together UNITE
28. Veggie on a cob CORN
29. Pride and prejudice, e.g. NOUNS
30. Caribbean resort ARUBA
31. Like a teetotaler SOBER
32. Bergen’s dummy Mortimer SNERD
35. Scored 100 on ACED
37. Domino dots PIPS
40. Practiced in the ring SPARRED
41. Art of verse POESY
42. Thailand’s capital BANGKOK
43. QB’s mistakes INTS
46. “Well said” TOUCHE
47. African river NIGER
49. Atkins of country CHET
50. Silence HUSH
51. Pro debater ANTI
52. Auntie of the stage MAME
53. 45 minutes, in soccer games HALF
54. Scott Turow work ONE L
55. Roman robe TOGA
56. Smooch, in Staffordshire SNOG
58. __-dandy JIM

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