LA Times Crossword Answers 7 Dec 12, Friday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Gary J. Whitehead
THEME: Addenda … each of the theme answers is a well-known term to which we ADD an A to the END (add-end-a):

40A. Contract extras, and read differently, a hint to this puzzle’s theme ADDENDA (add end a)

20A. Enjoying “O patria mia”? HEARING AID(A)
59A. Whomping actor Eric? SMOKING BAN(A)
11D. Supply electricity to a California city? POWER NAP(A)
35D. Spot a flamboyant singer? SIGHT GAG(A)

COMPLETION TIME: 12m 31s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Wharton hero FROME
“Ethan Frome” is a novel by Edith Wharton, first published in 1911.

Edith Wharton was a novelist and designer from New York City. Wharton was a wealthy woman and built her own estate in Lenox, Massachusetts called the Mount. My wife and I had the privilege of touring the Mount a few years ago, and there we saw evidence of what design meant to Wharton.

10. Crude letters OPEC
The OPEC cartel (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) was formally established in 1960 and has been headquartered in Vienna since 1965. The US is actually the third largest oil producer in the world (after Russia and Saudi Arabia). One reason America isn’t in OPEC, even though we are a big producer, is that we import a lot more than we export. But we all probably know that already …

14. One of five Norwegian kings OLAV
Of the many kings of Norway named Olaf/Olav (and there have been five), Olaf II is perhaps the most celebrated as he was canonized and made patron saint of the country. Olaf II was king from 1015 to 1028 and was known as “Olaf the Big” (or Olaf the Fat) during his reign. Today he is more commonly referred to as “Olaf the Holy”. After Olaf died he was given the title of Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, which is Latin for “Norway’s Eternal King”.

15. Trapper’s tool? RADAR
A traffic cop might use RADAR when trying to trap speedsters.

Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called Radio Detection And Ranging, which was shortened to the acronym RADAR.

16. Roast, in Rhone ROTI
“Rôti” is the French for “roasted”.

The Rhône wine region of France is home to my favorite appellation, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

18. Invierno month ENERO
In Spanish, a year (año) starts in January (Enero) and ends in December (Diciembre).

“Invierno” is Spanish for “winter”.

19. Nicole’s “Moulin Rouge!” co-star EWAN
Ewan McGregor is a very talented Scottish actor, one who got his break in the 1996 film “Trainspotting”. McGregor’s first big Hollywood role was playing the young Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the “Star Wars” prequels. Less known is his televised marathon motorcycle journey from London to New York via central Europe, Ukraine, Siberia, Mongolia and Canada. The 2004 trip was shown as “Long Way Round” on TV. McGregor did a similar trip in 2007 called “Long Way Down”, which took him and the same travelling companion from the north of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa.

Nicole Kidman is an Australian-American actress whose breakthrough role was the female lead in 1989’s “Dead Calm”. Kidman was actually born in Hawaii, to Australian parents. As a result, she has dual citizenship of Australia and the US.

20. Enjoying “O patria mia”? HEARING AID(A)
“O patria mia” is an aria from Verdi’s “Aida”. The aria is sung by the title character, with “O patria mia” translating as “O, my homeland”.

“Aida” is the famous opera by Giuseppe Verdi, actually based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. Mariette also designed the costumes and stages for the opening performance. The opera was first staged in 1871 in an opera house in Cairo. In the storyline, Aida is an Ethiopian princess brought into Egypt as a slave. Radames is an Egyptian commander who falls in love with her, and then of course complications arise!

23. Legal title: Abbr. ESQ
The title “esquire” is of British origin and is used differently today depending on whether one is in the US or the UK. Here in America the term is usually reserved for those practicing the law (both male and female). In the UK it is a term of gentle respect reserved for a male who has no other title that one can use. So a mere commoner like me might receive a letter from the bank say, addressed to W. E. Butler Esq.

24. Artificial ERSATZ
Something described as “ersatz” is a copy, and usually not a good one. “Ersatz” comes from the German verb “ersetzen” meaning “to replace”.

25. “Night Moves” singer SEGER
Bob Seger struggled as a performing artist right through the sixties and early seventies before becoming a commercial success in 1976 with the release of his album “Night Moves”. Since then, Seger has recorded songs that have become classics like, “We’ve Got Tonight” and “Old Time Rock & Roll”.

27. Some of its ads feature a pig named Maxwell GEICO
GEICO was founded in 1936 with a very specific mission, to provide auto insurance for employees of the federal government and their families, hence the name Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO). GEICO is a private company, despite the word “government” in its name. The founders’ idea was focus on government employees as they believed such a group represented a lower risk profile than the rest of the population. Nowadays anyone can go with GEICO, which is 100% owned by Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s investment firm.

30. Prima __ DONNAS
The Italian operatic term “prima donna” is used for the lead female singer in an opera company. “Prima donna” translates from Italian as “first lady”. The lead male singer is known as the “primo uomo”. The term “prima donna assoluta” is reserved for a prima donna who is generally accepted as being an outstanding performer.

33. Cuban patriot Martí JOSE
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. Martí was killed in action in a battle against Spanish troops in 1895.

39. Aussie’s school UNI
“Uni” is what we call university back in Ireland, and in the UK and Australia.

46. Vichy waters EAUX
“Eaux” is the French for “waters”.

Vichy is a spa town in the center of France. The people from Vichy are known as Vichyssois. After Paris was occupied by the Germans in WWII, Vichy was chosen as the seat of government for what was called the French State. The Vichy government had theoretical authority even in occupied France and is remembered for its collaboration with the German authorities. Vichy was chosen as the new seat of government because of its relative proximity to Paris, and simply because the town had the largest hotel room capacity in the “free zone” of the country.

47. Kennedy and Waters ETHELS
Ethel Kennedy is the widow of Robert F. Kennedy. Ethel was a roommate with Jean Kennedy, and through Jean met her brother Robert. Robert and Ethel had ten children together, with an eleventh child sadly arriving after Robert’s assassination in 1968.

Ethel Waters was a singer and actress. Waters was the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award (after Hattie McDaniel).

49. Like old apples MEALY
Something “mealy” resembles meal in texture, so is granular in consistency.

53. “Pork and Beans” band WEEZER
Weezer is an alternative rock band formed in LA in 1992. Apparently Wezer’s music might be described as “emo”.

The musical genre of “emo” originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. Not my cup of tea …

57. Binge JAG
The word “jag” is used to describe periods of unrestrained activity, particularly involving alcohol, and has been in use since the 1800s.

59. Whomping actor Eric? SMOKING BAN(A)
Eric Bana is an Australian actor who enjoyed a successful career in his home country before breaking into Hollywood playing an American Delta Force sergeant in “Black Hawk Down”. A couple of years later he played the lead in Ang Lee’s 2003 movie “The Hulk”, the role of Dr Bruce Banner. More recently he played the Romulan villain Nero, in the 2009 “Star Trek” movie.

62. Literary collections ANAS
An ana (or plural anas) is a collection, perhaps of literature, that represents the character of a particular place or a person. Ana can be used as a noun or as a suffix (e.g. Americana).

66. Star in Lyra VEGA
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. Vega (along with Altair and Deneb from other constellations) is also part of the group of three stars that is called the Summer Triangle. Vega is the star at the right-angle of this triangle.

68. Heraldry border ORLE
In heraldry, an orle is a decorative band that lies close to the edge of the front surface of a shield. With such a design, the orle necessarily takes on the shape of the shield.

Down
1. Israel’s Dayan MOSHE
Moshe Dayan had a long and distinguished military career (including command of Israeli forces during the 1956 Suez Crisis). Dayan also played a pivotal and militarily active role as Minister for Defense during the Six-Day War of 1967. He was a very recognizable figure with a black patch over his left eye. Dayan received his eye injury when he was fighting for the Allies in Vichy French Lebanon during WWII. He was using a pair of binoculars that was hit by an enemy bullet, smashing metal and glass fragments into his eye.

7. Ancient theaters ODEA
In Ancient Greece an odeon was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

8. 1961 record breaker MARIS
Roger Maris (whose real name was Roger Maras) was the son of Croatian immigrants. It was Maris’s single-season record of 61 home runs that Mark McGwire broke in 1998 (hitting 70 that season). Maris’s own record of 61 runs (from 1961) beat the previous record of 60 set in 1927 by Babe Ruth.

11. Supply electricity to a California city? POWER NAP(A)
Apparently the name “Napa” comes from the Native American Patwin word “napo” meaning “house”.

13. Half of dix CINQ
In French, “cinq” (five) is half of “dix” (ten).

21. Samson’s end? -ITE
The luggage company called Samsonite started out as the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company in Denver, Colorado in 1910. For quite a few years, Samsonite manufactured and distributed Lego toy building blocks for the North American market.

22. Ancient assembly area AGORA
In early Greece the “agora” was a place of assembly. Often the assemblies held there were quite formal, perhaps for the reading of a proclamation. Later in Greek history, things became less formal as the agora evolved into a market place. Our contemporary word “agoraphobia” comes from these agorae, in the sense that an agoraphobe has a fear of open spaces, a fear of “public meeting places”.

28. Bars at the end CODA
In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.

31. “Because freedom can’t protect itself” org. ACLU
“Because freedom can’t protect itself” is a byline used by the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU).

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors.

32. “Come Sail Away” band STYX
“Come Sail Away” is one of the biggest hits for the Chicago band Styx, released in 1977.

33. Solstice month JUNE
A solstice occurs twice in every year. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year (has the most daylight), and the winter solstice is the shortest.

35. Spot a flamboyant singer? SIGHT GAG(A)
Lady Gaga is the stage name of singer Stefani Germanotta from New York City. I’ve seen Lady Gaga interviewed on television a few times, and she sure is “unique”. Her music is of course out of my league, but she does know how to put on a show.

37. Bygone blade SNEE
“Snick or snee” is the name given to cut and thrust while fighting with a knife. The phrase is rooted in a pair of Dutch words and it gave its name to a “snee”, a light sword-like knife.

40. Rockefeller Center statue ATLAS
The iconic bronze statue of Atlas sitting in front of Rockefeller Center and facing Fifth Avenue is the work of sculptor Lee Lawrie. The statue of Atlas is not to be confused with the bronze gilded statue of a reclining Prometheus that looks over Rockefeller Plaza.

44. Every other hurricane HER
Hurricanes are given names primarily to help the public keep track of dangerous systems. The names are decided ahead of the hurricane season, with the first system given a name beginning with A, the second, B etc. The names are alternated from male to female throughout the season. Also, if the first storm of the season is given a male name, then the following year a female name is chosen to start the season. For hurricanes in the North Atlantic, names are assigned for every letter except Q, U, X, Y and Z.

52. Front-end alignment TOE IN
The wheels at the front-end of a car if toed in or toed out need to be realigned.

54. “New” currency replaced by the Congolese franc ZAIRE
The zaïre was the unit of currency in the Republic of Zaire until 1993. The first zaïre was then replaced by the new zaïre, with one zaïre pegged at a whopping 3,000,000 old zaïres. The new zaïre was replaced in 1997 by the Congolese franc soon after Zaire became the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Inflation was clearly still a problem, as the Congolese franc was set equal to 100,000 new zaïres.

55. Gay leader? ENOLA
The Enola Gay was the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, on Hiroshima in August 1945. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of the pilot, Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

56. Triple-A, at times RATER
I guess the idea is that Triple-A (AAA) can be a rating, a rater of perhaps a financial vehicle like a stock or a bond. At least I think that’s the explanation …

57. Software product with a cup-and-saucer logo JAVA
Java is a programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java was originally designed for interactive television, but didn’t fit the needs at the time. Back then it was called Oak, named after an oak tree that stood outside the designer’s office. Later it was called Green and finally named Java, which was simply picked out of a list of random words.

60. “Categorical imperative” philosopher KANT
Immanuel Kant was an 18th-century, German philosopher. Kant published “Perpetual Peace” in 1795, laying out what he believed were conditions for ending all wars and creating a lasting peace. The good news for us is that one of these conditions was to have a world full of constitutional republics, so it seems we are on the right track here in the US!

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Family nickname MAMA
5. Wharton hero FROME
10. Crude letters OPEC
14. One of five Norwegian kings OLAV
15. Trapper’s tool? RADAR
16. Roast, in Rhone ROTI
17. Eye sore STYE
18. Invierno month ENERO
19. Nicole’s “Moulin Rouge!” co-star EWAN
20. Enjoying “O patria mia”? HEARING AID(A)
23. Legal title: Abbr. ESQ
24. Artificial ERSATZ
25. “Night Moves” singer SEGER
27. Some of its ads feature a pig named Maxwell GEICO
30. Prima __ DONNAS
33. Cuban patriot Martí JOSE
36. Ages EONS
38. Fight back, say REACT
39. Aussie’s school UNI
40. Contract extras, and read differently, a hint to this puzzle’s theme ADDENDA (add end a)
42. Layer PLY
43. Time to retire NIGHT
45. Copycat APER
46. Vichy waters EAUX
47. Kennedy and Waters ETHELS
49. Like old apples MEALY
51. Character piece? TRAIT
53. “Pork and Beans” band WEEZER
57. Binge JAG
59. Whomping actor Eric? SMOKING BAN(A)
62. Literary collections ANAS
64. Amity PEACE
65. Knee-slapper RIOT
66. Star in Lyra VEGA
67. Top of a form, perhaps LINE A
68. Heraldry border ORLE
69. Furthest from the hole, in golf AWAY
70. Big key ENTER
71. Fade, maybe WEAR

Down
1. Israel’s Dayan MOSHE
2. Let out, say ALTER
3. Builders of stepped pyramids MAYAS
4. Nothing special AVERAGE
5. Frantic FRENZIED
6. Signaled one’s arrival RANG
7. Ancient theaters ODEA
8. 1961 record breaker MARIS
9. Ate at ERODED
10. Tram load ORE
11. Supply electricity to a California city? POWER NAP(A)
12. Weather may delay them: Abbr. ETAS
13. Half of dix CINQ
21. Samson’s end? -ITE
22. Ancient assembly area AGORA
26. Compass hdg. ENE
28. Bars at the end CODA
29. Latish lunch hr. ONE PM
31. “Because freedom can’t protect itself” org. ACLU
32. “Come Sail Away” band STYX
33. Solstice month JUNE
34. Doing the job ON IT
35. Spot a flamboyant singer? SIGHT GAG(A)
37. Bygone blade SNEE
40. Rockefeller Center statue ATLAS
41. Approach DRAW NEAR
44. Every other hurricane HER
46. One may be penciled in EYEBROW
48. Like a piece of cake SIMPLE
50. Boost, with “up” LEG
52. Front-end alignment TOE IN
54. “New” currency replaced by the Congolese franc ZAIRE
55. Gay leader? ENOLA
56. Triple-A, at times RATER
57. Software product with a cup-and-saucer logo JAVA
58. All over again ANEW
60. “Categorical imperative” philosopher KANT
61. Slurpee alternative ICEE
63. Come out with SAY

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