LA Times Crossword Answers 24 Jan 13, Thursday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Polynesian tongue MAORI
The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. The Māori are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting sometime in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing the mortal human being from spiritual entities.

6. Early Democrat’s foe WHIG
The Whig Party (in the US) was active from 1833 to 1856, and was the opposition party to the Democrats at that time. One of the tenets of the Whig Party was the supremacy of Congress over the Executive branch. Prominent members of the party included Presidents Zachary Taylor and John Tyler. Abraham Lincoln was also a Whig while he served a two-year term as a US Representative for the state of Illinois. By the time he became President, Lincoln was a member of the Republican Party.

14. Pump name EXXON
The Exxon Corporation was a descendant of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. Exxon merged with Mobil (yet another descendant of Standard Oil) in 1999 to form ExxonMobil.

19. Practitioner of meditation YOGI
A yogi is a practitioner of yoga.

In the West we tend to think of yoga as a physical discipline, a means of exercise that uses specific poses to stretch and strengthen muscles. While it is true that the ancient Indian practice of yoga does involve such physical discipline, the corporeal aspect of the practice plays a relatively small part in the whole philosophy. Other major components are meditation, ethical behavior, breathing and contemplation.

20. Lassie’s “In a pig’s eye!” NAE
Nae is the Scottish vernacular for “no”.

22. Seed source of omega-3 FLAX
Fish oils are noted for containing omega-3 fatty acids, which have many health benefits including the reduction of inflammation. Like so many essential nutrients that we get from animals, the only reason the animal has them is that it feeds on plants. In this case, fish cannot manufacture omega-3 fatty acids, and instead absorb them from algae. Omega-3 fatty acids are also readily found in other plant oils such as flaxseed oil.

31. Salt’s “Halt!” AVAST
“Avast” is a nautical term used to tell someone to stop or desist from what they are doing. The word comes from the Dutch “hou vast” meaning “hold fast”.

35. Flat hat TAM
A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap traditionally worn by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”), but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of Robert Burns’ poem “Tam O’Shanter”.

36. Like a comics Pea? SWEE’
Originally Popeye used the nickname “swee’pea” to address his girlfriend Olive Oyl. Then along comes a baby, found on Popeye’s doorstep. Popeye adopts the little guy and raises him, calling him “Swee’Pea”.

40. “Welcome to Maui!” ALOHA
The Hawaiian word “Aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands. Maui is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.

42. Seldom seen, to Seneca RARA
“Rara” is the Latin for “rare”.

Seneca the Younger was a playwright as well as a tutor and advisor to the Emperor Nero of Ancient Rome. Although maybe innocent, Seneca was forced to commit suicide by Nero as it was alleged that Seneca participated in a plot to kill the emperor. To kill himself, Seneca cut into a number of veins in order to bleed to death.

43. Grinch portrayer CARREY
“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a 2000 film starring Jim Carrey in the title role, and directed by Ron Howard. The movie is of course an adaptation of the 1957 book by Dr. Seuss.

45. Myrna’s “Thin Man” role NORA
High on the list of my favorite movies of all time is “The Thin Man” series starring William Powell and the incredibly attractive Myrna Loy. Powell and Loy played the characters Nick and Nora Charles.

The beautiful Myrna Loy was one of my favorite actresses. Her career took off when she was paired up with William Powell in the fabulous “The Thin Man” series of films. Loy also appeared opposite Cary Grant in a couple of films that I like to watch every so often, namely “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer” (1947) and “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” (1948).

47. KoKo or Yum-Yum, in Lilian Jackson Braun mysteries CAT
Lilian Jackson Braun was the author of the “The Cat Who” series of mystery novels. The main characters in the stories are an ex-reporter named James Qwilleran and his Siamese cats called KoKo and Yum-Yum.

49. Turkish sty leader? BEY OF PIGS (from “Bay of Pigs”)
Bey is a Turkish title for a chieftain. In the days of the Ottoman Empire, the term “bey” was used for many different officials, but traditionally it referred to the leader of a small tribal group. Today “bey” is used very much like “mister”.

The Bay of Pigs is on the southern coast of Cuba. The bay was the site of the abortive military invasion of Cuba in 1961 by a paramilitary group sponsored by the CIA. Cuban forces defending against the attack were personally led by Fidel Castro, and emerged victorious after three days of fighting.

53. Seven-time MLB All-Star Soriano ALFONSO
Alfonso Soriano is a professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic, currently playing as an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs. In 2004, Soriano sent a donation of $2.6 million dollars back to his homeland to help children who had an ambition to become professional baseball players.

60. Bee’s charge OPIE
Aunt Bee was a character in “The Andy Griffith Show”. The character’s full name was Beatrice Taylor but everyone in Mayberry called her “Aunt Bee”. In the storyline she was the aunt of the protagonist, Sheriff Andy Taylor, and great-aunt to Andy’s son Opie. Aunt Bee was played by actress Frances Beaver.

61. Rock in actress Susan’s path, perhaps? DEY TRIPPER (from “day tripper”)
The actress Susan Dey first appeared on “The Partridge Family” when she was 17-years-old when she had no acting experience. Years later, Dey won a Golden Globe for playing the leading role of Grace Van Owen in “L. A. Law”.

67. Lang of Smallville LANA
Smallville, Kansas is the town on Earth in which Superman grew up (as Clark Kent). One of Clark’s best friends in Smallville, and the romantic interest of his youth, was Lana Lang.

68. “Monster” (2003) co-star 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”.

“Monster” is a pretty disturbing crime drama released in 2003. The film’s storyline is based on the real-life story of Aileen Wuornos (played by Charlize Theron), a serial killer who was eventually caught and executed in 2002.

69. Like many LAX flights INTL
Los Angeles International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and the busiest here on the West Coast of the US. The airport was opened in 1930 as Mines Field and was renamed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941. On the airport property is the iconic white structure that resembles a flying saucer. This is called the Theme Building and I believe it is mainly used as a restaurant and observation deck for the public. The airport used to be identified by the letters “LA”, but when the aviation industry went to a three-letter standard for airport identification, this was changed to “LAX”. Apparently the “X” has no significant meaning.

70. First place? EDEN
According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a garden “in” Eden, with Eden being geographically located by reference to four rivers including the Tigris and the Euphrates. Some scholars hypothesize that Eden was located in Mesopotamia, which encompasses much of modern-day Iraq.

Down
1. Large body of eau MER
“Eau” is the French word for “water”. “Mer” is the French word for “sea”.

3. Acne treatment brand OXY
The OXY Skin Care products were developed by GlaxoSmithKline, but the brand name has been owned by Mentholatum since 2005.

4. Longtime “60 Minutes” pundit ROONEY
Andy Rooney began his career in newspapers during WWII working for “Stars and Stripes” in London. He had some memorable experiences during the war, including flying on the first American bombing raid over Germany. He was also one of the first American journalists to visit the German concentration camps as they were liberated. He started his segment called “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney” on CBS’s “60 Minutes” way back in 1978, and so was on our screens for over 40 years. Rooney passed away in 2011. He was a cool, cool guy …

6. Teens conflict, briefly WWI
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, what we now know as World War I was referred to as “the World War” or “the Great War”.

12. Company with a hedgehog mascot SEGA
Sega is a Japanese video game company headquartered in Tokyo. Sega actually started out 1940 in the US as Standard Games and was located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The owners moved the operation to Tokyo in 1951 and renamed the company to Service Games. The name “Sega” is a combination of the first two letters of the words “Se-rvice” and “Ga-mes”.

13. __ fixe PRIX
On a restaurant menu, items that are “à la carte” are priced and ordered separately. A menu marked “table d’hôte” (also called “prix fixe”) is a fixed-price menu with limited choice.

23. 1971 prison riot site ATTICA
The Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York is used to incarcerate the toughest of the state’s convicts. Famous people who have spent time in Attica include David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) and Mark David Chapman (who killed John Lennon). Attica was the site of a famous riot in 1971 involving almost 1,000 inmates. Control of the prison was restored by the authorities after several days of unrest that left 39 people dead, including ten guards and other prison employees.

26. Biblical brother ABEL
The story of Cain and Abel not only appears in the Christian and Hebrew Bibles, it also features in the Qur’an. In the Muslim account the brothers are named Qabil and Habil.

28. ESPN reporter Paolantonio SAL
Sal Paolantonio is a reporter for ESPN based in Phildelphia, mostly associated with coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and the New York Jets.

30. Sierra __ LEONE
The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa, lying on the Atlantic Coast. The capital city of Freetown was originally set up as a colony to house the “Black Poor” of London, England. These people were mainly freed British slaves of Caribbean descent who were living a miserable life in the run-down parts of London. Perhaps to help the impoverished souls, perhaps to rid the streets of “a problem”, three ships were chartered in 1787 to transport a group of blacks, with some whites, to a piece of land purchased in Sierra Leone. Those who made the voyage were guaranteed British citizenship and protection. The descendants of these immigrants, and others who made the journey over the next 60 years, make up the ethnic group that’s today called the Sierra Leone Creole.

32. Analgesic brand ANACIN
Anacin is a pain reliever, with aspirin and caffeine as active ingredients.

37. Itinerant Yuletide singer CAROLER
The word “carol” came into English via the Old French word “carole”, which was a “dance in a ring”. When “carol” made it into English, about 1300 AD, the term was used to describe a dance as well as a joyful song. Around 1500 AD, carols that were sung came to be associated with Christmas.

41. Georgetown player HOYA
The athletic teams of Georgetown University are known as the Hoyas. The name is derived from “Hoya Saxa”, a traditional cheer yelled out at Georgetown games as far back as 1893. The term is a mixture of Greek and Latin, with the Greek word “hoya” meaning “such” or “what”, and “saxa” translating from Latin as “rocks” or “small stones”. The cheer is usually rendered in English as “what rocks!”.

49. Execute, in old France BEHEAD
The Reign of Terror is the name given to the violent months that marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The guillotine earned the nickname “the National Razor” during those days in 1793 and 1794, with tens of thousands of people losing their lives (and heads).

54. Author Picoult JODI
The American author Jodi Picoult has had two books debut at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list: “Nineteen Minutes” and “Change of Heart”.

58. Last word on New Year’s Eve? SYNE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve, the words of which were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns.

64. Old French coin ECU
The ecu was an Old French coin. When introduced in 1640, the ecu was worth three livres (an older coin, called a “pound” in English). The word “ecu” comes from the Latin “scutum” meaning “shield”. The original ecu had a coat of arms on it, a shield.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Polynesian tongue MAORI
6. Early Democrat’s foe WHIG
10. Diary closer HASP
14. Pump name EXXON
15. Premoistened cloth WIPE
16. Still-life subject EWER
17. Luminous Spanish king? REY OF LIGHT (from “ray of light”)
19. Practitioner of meditation YOGI
20. Lassie’s “In a pig’s eye!” NAE
21. Monopolize HOG
22. Seed source of omega-3 FLAX
23. Back-of-the-book items ADDENDA
27. Bloodhound’s 48-Across NOSE
29. Chart containing only threes? TREY TABLE (from “tray table”)
31. Salt’s “Halt!” AVAST
35. Flat hat TAM
36. Like a comics Pea? SWEE’
37. Close tightly, as one’s hand CLENCH
38. Groggy response I’M UP
40. “Welcome to Maui!” ALOHA
42. Seldom seen, to Seneca RARA
43. Grinch portrayer CARREY
45. Myrna’s “Thin Man” role NORA
47. KoKo or Yum-Yum, in Lilian Jackson Braun mysteries CAT
48. Plus ASSET
49. Turkish sty leader? BEY OF PIGS (from “Bay of Pigs”)
51. Bulldogs’ home YALE
53. Seven-time MLB All-Star Soriano ALFONSO
54. Fair JUST
57. Sighing sounds AHS
59. Consume EAT
60. Bee’s charge OPIE
61. Rock in actress Susan’s path, perhaps? DEY TRIPPER (from “day tripper”)
66. Hon DOLL
67. Lang of Smallville LANA
68. “Monster” (2003) co-star RICCI
69. Like many LAX flights INTL
70. First place? EDEN
71. Trap SETUP

Down
1. Large body of eau MER
2. Dismiss AXE
3. Acne treatment brand OXY
4. Longtime “60 Minutes” pundit ROONEY
5. Babies INFANTS
6. Teens conflict, briefly WWI
7. Up in the air HIGH
8. Droid alternative IPHONE
9. Day one, informally GET-GO
10. Casual greeting craze? HEY FEVER (from “hay fever”)
11. One who might get caught off base AWOL
12. Company with a hedgehog mascot SEGA
13. __ fixe PRIX
18. Took out in handcuffs, say LED AWAY
23. 1971 prison riot site ATTICA
24. Works on stage DRAMAS
25. Expresses doubts DEMURS
26. Biblical brother ABEL
28. ESPN reporter Paolantonio SAL
30. Sierra __ LEONE
32. Analgesic brand ANACIN
33. Skinny types SCRAGS
34. “Oh, really?” THAT SO?
37. Itinerant Yuletide singer CAROLER
39. How owls know when mice are bluffing? PREY TELL (from “pray tell”)
41. Georgetown player HOYA
44. LAX posting ETA
46. Business matters AFFAIRS
49. Execute, in old France BEHEAD
50. Deep-dish comfort food POTPIE
52. Soup dispenser LADLE
54. Author Picoult JODI
55. Supported by UPON
56. Bank deposit SILT
58. Last word on New Year’s Eve? SYNE
62. Brown in a bed TAN
63. Loan no. PCT
64. Old French coin ECU
65. Upholsterer’s target RIP

Return to top of page