LA Times Crossword Answers 18 Feb 13, Monday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. Skid row sort WINO
The term “skid row” is used to describe a run-down urban neighborhood. “Skid row” appears to have originated in the Pacific Northwest where a “skid road” was a wooden pathway used for “skidding” logs through forests and over bogs. The terms “skid road” and “skid row” came to be used for logging camps and mills, and then somehow was applied to run-down areas in cities up and down the west coast of North America.

15. River joining the Missouri near Jefferson City OSAGE
Much of the Osage River in Missouri is now taken up by two large reservoirs created behind two dams that provide power for St. Louis and the surrounding area. The two reservoirs are the Truman Reservoir and the Lake of the Ozarks.

17. Skating maneuver LOOP
A toe loop is a relatively simple jump in figure skating (not that I could do one!). In a toe loop, the skater uses the toe pick on the skate to lift off on a backward outside edge, landing on the same backward outside edge.

19. Strauss of blue jeans LEVI
Levi Strauss was the founder of the first company in the world to manufacture blue jeans. Levi Strauss & Co. opened in 1853 in San Francisco. Strauss and his business partner were awarded a patent in 1873 for the use of copper rivets to strengthen points of strain on working pants.

20. Jefferson THOMAS OR DAVIS (Thomas Jefferson or Jefferson Davis)
Thomas Jefferson was a very close friend of John Adams, a friendship dating back to the time of the Second Continental Congress. Jefferson and Adams developed differing views on important subjects and had many debates, both directly and in correspondence. They also had an “up and down” relationship, with long periods of coolness. The two former presidents both died on the same day, in 1826. If that isn’t an amazing enough coincidence, they passed away on July 4th, Independence Day.

The Confederate States of America (CSA) set up government in 1861 just before Abraham Lincoln took office. Jefferson Davis was selected as President of the CSA at its formation and retained the post for the life of the government.

23. Hibachi residue ASH
The traditional hibachi in Japan is a heating device, often a ceramic bowl or box that holds burning charcoal. This native type of hibachi isn’t used for cooking, but rather as a space heater (a brazier). Here in the US we use the term hibachi to refer to a charcoal grill used as a small cooking stove, which in Japanese would be called a “shichirin”.

27. Washington GEORGE OR IRVING (George Washington or Washington Irving)
The famous story about George Washington cutting down a cherry tree as a child has been shown to be fiction. He supposedly was confronted by his father after taking an axe to a tree and confessed with the words, “I’m sorry father, I cannot tell a lie”. Not true …

Washington Irving was an author from New York City. Irving’s most famous works are the short stories: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”.

33. Singer Brickell who’s married to Paul Simon EDIE
Edie Brickell is a singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas. Brickell has been married to fellow singer Paul Simon since 1991.

34. “You got that right, brother!” AMEN!
The word “amen” is translated as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is likely to be also influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

42. Chicago airport O’HARE
O’Hare International is the fourth busiest airport in the world. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Edward O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII. As an aside, Edward O’Hare’s father was a lawyer for Al Capone who helped get the famous gangster convicted on tax evasion.

43. Jackson ANDREW OR BROWNE (Andrew Jackson or Jackson Browne)
Like many of the earlier US presidents, Andrew Jackson was a career military man. Jackson distinguished himself as commander of American forces during the War of 1812, particularly in the defense of New Orleans. He had a reputation of being fair to his troops, but strict. It was during this time that he was described as “tough as old hickory”, giving rise to the nickname “Old Hickory” that stuck with him for life.

Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter, although he was born in Heidelberg, Germany while his father was stationed there with the US Army.

51. Truman HARRY OR CAPOTE (Harry Truman or Truman Capote)
Harry Truman wanted to go to West Point having served with the Missouri Army National Guard on active duty in WWI, but he couldn’t get in because of his poor eyesight. Young Truman didn’t have the money to pay for college anywhere else. He did manage to study for two years towards a law degree at the Kansas City Law School in the twenties, but he never finished his schooling. So, Harry S. Truman was the last US President (out of a list of ten) who did not have a college degree.

The larger than life Truman Capote was a celebrated author and comedian. Capote is perhaps most associated with his novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and his true crime novel “In Cold Blood”. Truman Capote grew up in Monroeville, Alabama. There he met, and became lifelong friends with, fellow novelist Harper Lee. Capote was the inspiration for the character “Dill” in Lee’s celebrated work “To Kill a Mocking Bird”. In turn, Harper Lee was the inspiration for the character “Idabel” in Capote’s “Other Voices, Other Rooms”.

61. It ebbs and flows TIDE
Tides of course are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

62. Kauai and Tahiti, for two ISLES
Because the island of Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth, all the rainfall has helped to carve out magnificent canyons that now have superb waterfalls. Kauai is used as a common backdrop for movies.

Although Captain Cook landed in Tahiti in 1769, he wasn’t the first European to do so. However, Cook’s visit was the most significant in that it heralded a whole spate of European visitors, who brought with them prostitution, venereal disease and alcohol. Paradoxically, they also brought Christianity. Included among the subsequent visitors was the famous HMS Bounty under the charge of Captain Bligh.

63. Read bar codes on SCAN
UPC stands for Universal Price Code or Universal Product Code. The first UPC-marked item to get scanned in a store was on June 26, 1974 at 08:01 a.m. at Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum …

64. Large amount SCAD
The origin of the word “scads”, meaning “lots and lots”, is unclear, although back in the mid-1800s “scads” was used to mean “dollars”.

66. Number picker’s casino game KENO
The name “Keno” has French or Latin roots, with the French “quine” being a term for five winning numbers, and the Latin “quini” meaning “five each”. The game originated in China and was introduced into the West by Chinese immigrants who were working on the first Transcontinental Railroad in the 1800s.

Down
2. Brazilian port, for short RIO
“Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Years Day in 1502.

4. Frosh, next year SOPH
The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.

“Frosh” is a slang term for a college freshman. We call them “freshers” back in Ireland …

5. Christina Crawford’s “__ Dearest” MOMMIE
“Mommie Dearest” is a memoir written by Christian Crawford, the daughter of actress Joan Crawford. The book did not paint Joan in a good light, with claims of alcoholism and neglect of her four children.

6. Italian cheese region ASIAGO
Asiago is a crumbly cheese, named after the region in northeastern Italy from where it originates.

8. “Simply delicious” waffle maker EGGO
Eggo is the brand name of a line of frozen waffles made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced the original name chosen, which was “Froffles”, created by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.

10. Deli meat in round slices SALAMI
Salame (note the “e” at the end) is an Italian sausage that is traditionally associated with the peasant classes. The meat in the sausage is preserved with salt, and it can be hung and stored for maybe as long as ten years. The name “salame” comes from “sale”, the Italian word for salt, and “-ame”, a suffix indicating a collective noun. Our English word “salami” is actually the Italian plural for “salame”.

11. Dreaded business chapter? ELEVEN
In the US Bankruptcy Code, Chapter 11 allows for a company or individual to reorganize affairs in the event that debts become so cumbersome that they cannot be cleared. Should the reorganization be unsuccessful, then Chapter 7 of the code might apply, which covers the sale of assets and distribution of proceeds to creditors.

13. Deli cheese SWISS
Swiss cheese is a relatively generic term and is a type of cheese produced in various countries and not necessarily in Switzerland. What the cheeses all have in common is a resemblance to the original Swiss Emmental.

23. Taj Mahal city AGRA
The most famous mausoleum in the world has to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The Taj Mahal was built after the death of the third wife of Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal (hence the name of the mausoleum). The poor woman died in childbirth delivering the couple’s 14th child.

37. Comedian Margaret CHO
Margaret Cho is a very successful stand-up comedian, but she is also a fashion designer with her own line of clothing. Cho also acts, and you might have seen her in the John Travolta/Nicholas Cage movie “Face/Off” in which she played John Travolta’s FBI colleague.

38. “Sons and Lovers” novelist LAWRENCE
D. H. Lawrence was very much a reactionary novelist, in the sense that his work tended to decry the social impact of the industrial revolution. His novels were also criticized for their erotic content, so much so that Lawrence was publicly labelled as a pornographer by the end of his days. His most famous novels are “Sons and Lovers”, “The Rainbow”, “Women in Love” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”.

39. Florence’s river ARNO
The Arno is the principal river in the Tuscany region of Italy, passing through the cities of Florence and Pisa. Famously the Arno flooded in 1966, the worst flood in the region for centuries. There were numerous deaths and extensive destruction of priceless art treasures, particularly in Florence.

40. Crab grass, e.g. WEED
Crab grass may be considered a weed and a scourge of the lawn-loving population, but it has its uses. In Africa, the seeds of some species of crabgrass are toasted and ground into a flour that is used to make porridge, or better still, to make beer.

42. Black-and-white cookie OREO
The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been sold since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

44. 1971 Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo NERUDA
Pablo Neruda was the pen name, and eventually the legal name, used by Chilean writer Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. Basoalto chose the name as a homage to Czech poet Jan Neruda.

52. Spunkmeyer of cookie fame OTIS
Otis Spunkmeyer is a company noted for producing muffins and cookies. Kenneth Rawlings founded the company in 1977 in Oakland, California. “Otis Spunkmeyer” isn’t a real person, and instead is a name that was made up by Rawlings’ 12-year-old daughter.

54. Auto racer Yarborough CALE
Cale Yarborough is a former NASCAR driver and owner. Yarborough was the first NASCAR driver to appear on the cover of “Sports Illustrated”.

59. “The Da Vinci Code” author Brown DAN
Dan Brown is a somewhat controversial author, best known for his 2003 novel “The Da Vinci Code”. I’ve read all of Brown’s books and must say that his early ones were awful. Having said that I loved “Angels and Demons”, and found “The Da Vinci Code” to be a great read.

60. John’s Yoko ONO
John Lennon and Yoko Ono married at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969. The couple decided to use the inevitable publicity surrounding their wedding and honeymoon to promote peace in the world. They honeymooned in the Presidential Suite of the Amsterdam Hilton, inviting the world’s press to join them and to witness their “bed-in”. They spent the week talking about peace, and an end to war. The marriage and bed-in is chronicled by the Beatles in their song “The Ballad of John and Yoko”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Old flatboats ARKS
5. Stag party attendees MALES
10. Fixes with thread SEWS
14. Skid row sort WINO
15. River joining the Missouri near Jefferson City OSAGE
16. “Is there __ against that?” A LAW
17. Skating maneuver LOOP
18. Gnatlike insect MIDGE
19. Strauss of blue jeans LEVI
20. Jefferson THOMAS OR DAVIS (Thomas Jefferson or Jefferson Davis)
23. Hibachi residue ASH
25. 18-wheeler RIG
26. Black cats, to some OMENS
27. Washington GEORGE OR IRVING (George Washington or Washington Irving)
32. Baton-passing event RELAY
33. Singer Brickell who’s married to Paul Simon EDIE
34. “You got that right, brother!” AMEN!
35. In first place ON TOP
37. Crab’s grabber CLAW
41. Impressionist APER
42. Chicago airport O’HARE
43. Jackson ANDREW OR BROWNE (Andrew Jackson or Jackson Browne)
48. Coffee lightener CREAM
49. Word with popper or dropper EYE
50. Fishing stick ROD
51. Truman HARRY OR CAPOTE (Harry Truman or Truman Capote)
56. Bump up against ABUT
57. Jeweled headpiece TIARA
58. Reverse, as a computer operation UNDO
61. It ebbs and flows TIDE
62. Kauai and Tahiti, for two ISLES
63. Read bar codes on SCAN
64. Large amount SCAD
65. Gets things growing SEEDS
66. Number picker’s casino game KENO

Down
1. Leatherwork tool AWL
2. Brazilian port, for short RIO
3. Lumber blemish KNOTHOLE
4. Frosh, next year SOPH
5. Christina Crawford’s “__ Dearest” MOMMIE
6. Italian cheese region ASIAGO
7. Youngsters LADS
8. “Simply delicious” waffle maker EGGO
9. Tea leaves reader, e.g. SEER
10. Deli meat in round slices SALAMI
11. Dreaded business chapter? ELEVEN
12. Greeting from a distance WAVING
13. Deli cheese SWISS
21. Wild revelry ORGY
22. Went off the high board DOVE
23. Taj Mahal city AGRA
24. Come across as SEEM
28. Competed in a 10K RAN
29. Back in style RETRO
30. Altar vow I DO
31. Pants seam problem RIP
35. Not shut, in verse OPE
36. Just out of the box NEW
37. Comedian Margaret CHO
38. “Sons and Lovers” novelist LAWRENCE
39. Florence’s river ARNO
40. Crab grass, e.g. WEED
41. Military force ARMY
42. Black-and-white cookie OREO
43. Middle East language ARABIC
44. 1971 Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo NERUDA
45. Scooted DARTED
46. Brought to maturity REARED
47. Cardiac surgery technique BYPASS
48. Chews the fat CHATS
52. Spunkmeyer of cookie fame OTIS
53. Get out of bed RISE
54. Auto racer Yarborough CALE
55. Elephant’s incisor TUSK
59. “The Da Vinci Code” author Brown DAN
60. John’s Yoko ONO

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