LA Times Crossword Answers 13 Dec 12, Thursday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Song title spelled out in a 1967 hit RESPECT
“Respect” is a song by Otis Redding, and one that he recorded himself in 1965. It became a hit when Aretha Franklin made her famous cover version in 1967. Having said that, the Redding and Franklin versions do have different storylines and musical “feels”.

8. Wicket defender BATSMAN
In the sport of cricket, a bowler tries to hit the wicket that is defended by a batsman.

15. Composer Vivaldi ANTONIO
Antonio Vivaldi was one of the great composers of the Baroque period. He achieved fame and success within in his own lifetime, notoriety that faded soon after he died. His music has reemerged in recent decades and I am sure everyone is 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.

16. People people? EDITORS
There used to be a “People” page in each issue of “Time” magazine. This page was spun-off in 1974 as a publication of its own, which we now call “People” magazine.

17. Crick who co-discovered DNA structure FRANCIS
Francis Crick and James Watson discovered that DNA had a double-helix, chain-like structure, publishing their results in Cambridge in 1953. To this day the discovery is mired in controversy, as some crucial results collected by fellow researcher Rosalind Franklin were used without her permission or even knowledge.

18. It went down in history TITANIC
The RMS Titanic set off on her tragic maiden voyage in 1912, sailing from Southampton, England bound for New York City. Regulations only required that the ship have lifeboat capacity for 1,178 people, even though a full complement of passengers and crew was 3,547. When the order was given to abandon ship, the captain adhered to the traditional protocol of “women and children first”. As a result, only 20% of male passengers survived the disaster, compared to 75% of the female passengers. Perhaps more telling is that 61% of those in first class survived, and only 25% of those in third class. The crew fared even worse though, with only 24% making it.

19. Start of quote attributed to Victor Hugo FORTY IS THE OLD
Victor Hugo was a French poet and playwright, known in his native country mainly for his poetry. However, outside of France, Hugo is perhaps more closely associated with his novels such as “Les Misérables” and “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”.

21. Troubadours’ instruments LUTES
A troubadour was a composer and musician of the Middle Ages whose works dealt mainly with chivalry and courtly love. Troubadours were usually men, and a female troubadour would have been called a trobairitz.

22. Follower of Stalin? -IST
Joseph Stalin was Soviet Premier from 1941 to 1953. Stalin’s real name was Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili. Not long after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1903 he adopted the name “Stalin”, which is the Russian word for “steel”.

26. Bastille Day season ETE
One might spend the summer (été) under the sun (le soleil) in France.

The Bastille is a former fortress in Paris that was used as a prison by the kings of France. On 14 July 1789 an angry mob stormed the Bastille during the French Revolution. The mob was actually after the stores of gunpowder in the fortress, and while inside the building freed seven prisoners and killed the Bastille’s governor. The storming of the Bastille became a symbol of the French Revolution and has been celebrated in France on every July 14th since 1790.

30. Statue at St. Peter’s PIETA
Michelangelo’s Pietà can be seen in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Like all images known as the Pietà, the sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. Michelangelo inscribed his signature along a sash worn by the Virgin, the only time the artist is known to have signed his work.

31. Pachy- add-on -DERM
A pachyderm is large mammal, a member of the obsolete order Pachydermata. Pachyderms are noted for having very thick skins, like elephants, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.

36. Novelist Ferber EDNA
Edna Ferber won the Pulitzer for her novel “So Big”, which was made into a film a few times, most famously in 1953 starring Jane Wyman.

43. Crash site? SOFA
“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.

47. Elegant tapestry ARRAS
A famous arras is seen in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. In one pivotal scene, Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry listening to an argument between Hamlet and Gertrude. Hamlet hears Polonius, mistakes his identity and stabs wildly through the cloth, killing Polonius. The name “arras”, used for such a tapestry, comes from the French town of Arras which was famous for the production of fine wall hangings.

50. Rock’s __ Lobos LOS
Los Lobos are an American Chicano rock band, who released their first LP in 1978 and they are still going strong. The band’s name “Los Lobos” translates from Spanish as “The Wolves”.

51. Volvo competitor SAAB
SAAB stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. SAAB was, and still is, mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automobile division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000, which then sold it to a Dutch concern in 2010. However, SAAB (automotive) finally went bankrupt in 2011.

52. __-Julie, Quebec STE
Sainte-Julie is a suburb of Montreal, Quebec.

65. Protective sac for some embryos EGG CASE
Sharks and skates, for example, have a casing that surrounds their fertilized eggs. Egg sacs float freely in the sea and can be found washed up on beaches. These egg cases are also called mermaid’s purses or devil’s purses.

Down
4. Florence’s __ Vecchio PONTE
The Ponte Vecchio is a famous bridge that spans the Arno River in Florence, Italy. The bridge dates back to medieval times, and indeed the name “Ponte Vecchio” translates as “Old Bridge”.

6. MXXX ÷ X CIII
1030 divided by 10 is 103.

7. Deep-six TOSS
To deep-six something is to toss it, possibly overboard, or to completely destroy it. The derivation of this slang term is from “six feet deep”, not the length of a fathom but rather the traditional depth of a grave.

10. Bandleader Puente TITO
After serving in the navy in WWII for three years, Tito Puente studied at Julliard, where he got a great grounding in conducting, orchestration and theory. Puente parlayed this education into a career in Latin Jazz and Mambo. He was know as “El Rey” as well as “The King of Latin Music”.

12. Kin of “Sacre bleu!” MON DIEU
“Mon Dieu” is French for “my God”.

French speakers don’t really use the profanity “sacrebleu”, at least not anymore, but we see it a lot in English literature featuring native French speakers. Most famously it is uttered by Agatha Christie’s delightful Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. There is some dispute about the origins of “sacrebleu” (sacred blue), but French dictionaries explain that it is a “softening” of the alternative “Sacré Dieu” (Holy God).

13. D-backs, on scoreboards ARI
The Arizona Diamondbacks joined Major League Baseball’s National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001, the Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.

14. Defense advisory gp. NSC
The National Security Council (NSC) was created by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. The NSC is chaired by the sitting president, and meets in the White House Situation Room.

24. Verizon rival, initially ATT
The original AT&T Corporation was first known as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

GTE was a rival to AT&T, the largest of the independent competitors to the Bell System. GTE merged with Bell Atlantic in 2000 to form the company that we know today as Verizon.

28. Royal sari wearer RANI
A ranee (also spelled rani) is the female equivalent of a raja in India.

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

30. English poet laureate, 1790-1813 PYE
Henry James Pye was an English poet who held the post of Poet Laureate from 1790 until his death in 1813. As Poet Laureate he was the first with the title to receive an annual cash stipend, albeit a modest one. Prior to Pye, Poet Laureates of England were given a annual stipend of a barrel of wine.

34. Workplace protection org. OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

39. Scale notes FAS
The solfa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti. The solfa scale was developed from an ascending scale created by Guido of Arezzo in the 11th century. He used the first verse of a Latin hymn to name the syllables of the scale:

Ut queant laxis resonāre fibris
Mira gestorum famuli tuorum,
Solve polluti labii reatum,
Sancte Iohannes.

The “ut” in this scale was changed to “do”, as “do” was a more “open ended” sound. “Si” was added (the initials of “Sancte Iohannes”) to complete the seven-note scale. Later again, “si” was changed to “ti” so that each syllable began with a unique letter.

40. Author Levin IRA
As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also was a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels though are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.

42. Kojak, to friends THEO
I think we all remember Telly Savalas playing the title role in the detective drama “Kojak”, but do we recall his performance in the 1962 “Birdman of Alcatraz”? Savalas played a supporting role opposite Burt Lancaster in that movie, earning himself an Oscar nomination. Another of his more significant roles was Pontius Pilate in the 1965 epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. Savalas had to shave his head to play Pilate, and he liked the look so much that he remained bald for the rest of his life.

52. 16-Across reversals STETS
“Stet” is the Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” beside the change and then underscoring the change with a line of dots or dashes.

55. Red-wrapped cheeses EDAMS
Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

57. Radius neighbor ULNA
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.

58. Ramadan practice FAST
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is traditionally a period of fasting. The faithful that observe Ramadan refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk everyday, a lesson in patience, humility and spirituality.

60. Univ. sr.’s exam GRE
Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Song title spelled out in a 1967 hit RESPECT
8. Wicket defender BATSMAN
15. Composer Vivaldi ANTONIO
16. People people? EDITORS
17. Crick who co-discovered DNA structure FRANCIS
18. It went down in history TITANIC
19. Start of quote attributed to Victor Hugo FORTY IS THE OLD
21. Troubadours’ instruments LUTES
22. Follower of Stalin? -IST
23. Tale spinner LIAR
26. Bastille Day season ETE
27. Coal carrier TRAM
30. Statue at St. Peter’s PIETA
31. Pachy- add-on -DERM
33. Quote, part 2 AGE OF YOUTH
36. Novelist Ferber EDNA
38. Met, as a bet SEEN
39. Quote, part 3 FIFTY IS THE
43. Crash site? SOFA
47. Elegant tapestry ARRAS
48. Saintly ring HALO
50. Rock’s __ Lobos LOS
51. Volvo competitor SAAB
52. __-Julie, Quebec STE
54. Round at the saloon BEERS
56. End of the quote YOUTH OF OLD AGE
60. Barbecue cook GRILLER
62. Head-in-the-clouds sort? AVIATOR
63. Meet unexpectedly RUN INTO
64. Fraction, e.g. SEGMENT
65. Protective sac for some embryos EGG CASE
66. Locks overhead TRESSES

Down
1. Offered as a door prize, say RAFFLED
2. Going somewhere EN ROUTE
3. First-pitch thrower STARTER
4. Florence’s __ Vecchio PONTE
5. Form into a sac ENCYST
6. MXXX ÷ X CIII
7. Deep-six TOSS
8. Second Hebrew letters BETHS
9. Trying to lose, with “on” A DIET
10. Bandleader Puente TITO
11. Stud farm studs STALLIONS
12. Kin of “Sacre bleu!” MON DIEU
13. D-backs, on scoreboards ARI
14. Defense advisory gp. NSC
20. It marches and flies TIME
24. Verizon rival, initially ATT
25. Stadium sound RAH
28. Royal sari wearer RANI
29. Turkish titles AGAS
30. English poet laureate, 1790-1813 PYE
32. Like diets based on body type METABOLIC
34. Workplace protection org. OSHA
35. Have a hunch FEEL
37. Functional opening DYS-
39. Scale notes FAS
40. Author Levin IRA
41. Coming apart at the seams? FRAYING
42. Kojak, to friends THEO
44. Fatty-acid ointments OLEATES
45. Like some conclusions FORGONE
46. States categorically ASSERTS
49. Bind legally OBLIGE
52. 16-Across reversals STETS
53. Spasm THROE
55. Red-wrapped cheeses EDAMS
57. Radius neighbor ULNA
58. Ramadan practice FAST
59. At an end OVER
60. Univ. sr.’s exam GRE
61. Persian, e.g. RUG

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