LA Times Crossword Answers 24 May 13, Friday

CROSSWORD SETTER: James Sajdak
THEME: Finish with a Game of Cards … each of today’s themed answers ends with the name of a card game:

18A. Card game horn music? WINDS OF WAR (“War” is a card game)
25A. Card game where one person plays all the hands? LONELY HEARTS (“Hearts” is a card game)
40A. Card game played in dugouts? DIAMOND SOLITAIRE (“Solitaire” is a card game)
55A. Card game by the Thames? LONDON BRIDGE (“Bridge” is a card game)
66A. Card game requiring waterproof cards? BATHTUB GIN (“Gin” is a card game)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 12m 26s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. Met moment ARIA
The Metropolitan Opera of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …

15. Water-based paint LATEX
Water-based acrylic paints are also known as “latex paints”.

17. Mary __: ship in a Hammond Innes novel DEARE
“The Wreck of the Mary Deare” is a novel by Hammond Innes, as well as a 1959 movie adaptation of the book, starring Gary Cooper.

18. Card game horn music? WINDS OF WAR (“War” is a card game)
War is a card game, mainly played by young children.

20. Cub in comics OLSEN
In the Superman stories, Jimmy Olsen is a cub photographer who works on the “Daily Planet” newspaper with Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

22. Fight in Dogpatch RASSLE
“Rassle” is a slang word for “wrestle”.

The cartoonist Al Capp set his classic comic strip “Li’l Abner” in the fictional community of “Dogpatch”. According to one of the “Li’l Abner” strips, Dogpatch was located somewhere in the state of Kentucky.

25. Card game where one person plays all the hands? LONELY HEARTS (“Hearts” is a card game)
Hearts is a trick-taking card game that is in the same family as Bridge and Spades. Hearts has been around since the 1800s but surged in popularity in the computer age when a version of the game was included with the Microsoft Windows operating system.

30. 25% of Off! Deep Woods DEET
DEET is short for N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, an active ingredient in insect repellents. DEET is most often used to repel mosquitoes by applying it to the skin and/or clothing. It is also used to protect against tick bites.

33. Sushi shop offering AHI
Yellowfin tuna is usually marketed as “ahi”, its Hawaiian name. Yellowfin tuna is one big fish, often weighing over 300 pounds.

37. __ noodles: Chinese dish WONTON
Wonton noodles is a Chinese dish that includes wonton dumplings, hence the name.

46. City south of Metz NANCY
Nancy is a city in northeastern France.

The city of Metz is in the northeast of France, close to the German border. Given the proximity to Germany, Metz has both a strong German tradition and a French tradition. Metz was handed over to the French following WWI, after nearly 50 years of German rule. It quickly fell back into German hands in 1940 during WWII, with many German officers delighted to have back the city of their birth. Perhaps because of this long association with German, the US Army under General Patton encountered stiff resistance when liberating Metz in 1944.

55. Card game by the Thames? LONDON BRIDGE (“Bridge” is a card game)
London Bridge of course spanned the River Thames, from 1831 until it was dismantled due to its inability to carry the loads required in the center of the City of London. The city council sold the bridge to the developer of Lake Havasu city for $2.5 million. And the developer, Robert McCulloch, knew which bridge he was getting. The urban legend that he thought he was buying the more recognizable Tower Bridge; it’s just not true …

61. “Ed Wood” Oscar winner LANDAU
Martin Landau is a film and television actor from Brooklyn, New York. Landau is probably most famous for playing Rollin Hand, the master of disguise in TV’s “Mission Impossible”. On the big screen, Landau famously won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in “Ed Wood”.

Ed Wood was a screenwriter, director, producer and actor who made a lot of low-budget films during the 1950s. Wood worked a lot with the actor Bela Lugosi and when Lugosi passed away, the popularity of Wood’s film died off with his star. Tim Burton made a biopic about the life and career of Ed Wood that was released in 1994, a movie that was simply called “Ed Wood”.

64. Pong developer ATARI
Do you remember the arcade video game that was like a game of tennis, with paddles moving up and down to hit what looked like a ball, over what looked like a net? Well, that was “Pong”.

66. Card game requiring waterproof cards? BATHTUB GIN (“Gin” is a card game)
Gin rummy is a variant of the slower game of standard rummy and was introduced in 1909 by one Elwood Baker and his son.

70. WWII beachhead near Rome ANZIO
The WWII Battle of Anzio is famous for being one of the most terrible blunders in military history. Operation Shingle was a surprise amphibious landing at Anzio, 35 miles south of Rome, designed to outflank the Germans and press home an attack on the Italian capital. The element of surprise allowed a safe landing at Anzio, and the allies were able to drive jeeps right into the outskirts of Rome unchallenged. But that element of surprise was lost when Allied commander General John Lucas decided to delay the march on Rome until he had consolidated his position on the beaches, a position that was surrounded by high ground. The Germans used the delay to throw everything they had into the high ground and the allies were pinned down in a bloody battle. As a result, it took four months for the allies to fight their way inland.

71. Portly pirate SMEE
In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy!

72. Last name of Phineas in Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb” FLYNN
“Phineas and Ferb” is an animated TV series on the Disney channel. The lead characters are Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher.

73. Tablet named for an organ TUMS
The main ingredient in Tums antacid, made by GlaxoSmithKline, is calcium carbonate. Tums have been on the market since 1930. If you want to save a few pennies, Target brand antacid is identical to Tums, so I hear …

Down
2. Brightly plumed songbird ORIOLE
The songbird called an oriole builds an interesting nest. It is a woven cup-like structure that is suspended from a branch like a hammock.

4. One of Islam’s five pillars HADJ
“Haji” is the term used for someone who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and the term is sometimes also used as a form of address for such a person. The journey itself goes by the name “haj” or “hadj”.

Followers of the Muslim tradition believe in the Five Pillars of Islam, five obligatory acts that underpin Muslim life. The Five Pillars are:

– The Islamic creed
– Daily prayer
– Almsgiving
– Fasting during the month of Ramadan
– The pilgrimage to Mecca (haj) once during a lifetime

7. Texter’s “Meant to tell you” BTW
By the way (BTW)

8. Celebrex developer SEARLE
Searle is mainly a pharmaceutical company, and was founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1888. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was Searle’s CEO and then President in the seventies and eighties.

10. Huey, Dewey and Louie’s mom, in early comics DELLA
Della Duck is the twin sister of Donald Duck, and mother of Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Donald Duck’s nephews are identical triplets called Huey, Dewey and Louie, and they first appeared on the screen in 1938. Once in awhile due to errors in production, a fourth duck can be seen in the background. This little “mistake” is affectionately called “Phooey Duck” by folks in the industry.

11. 1993 Fiat acquisition MASERATI
Maserati is a manufacturer of luxury cars in Italy. The company was founded in Bologna in 1914 by five brothers: Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati.

16. Looks into? X-RAYS
X-rays were first studied comprehensively by the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (also “Roentgen”), and it was he who gave the name “X-rays” to this particular type of radiation. Paradoxically, in Röntgen’s native language of German, X-rays are routinely referred to as “Röntgen rays”. In 1901 Röntgen won the first Nobel Prize in Physics that was ever awarded, recognition for his work on X-rays.

19. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria owner SAL
“Do the Right Thing” is a Spike Lee movie, released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called “Sal’s” owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).

23. Do Jeeves’s job SHOW IN
Jeeves is probably the most famous character created by novelist P. G. Wodehouse. Reginald Jeeves is the full name of Bertie Wooster’s celebrated valet. Wodehouse’s full name was Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.

26. Old 38-Down overseer NASD
The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) no longer exists per se. Since 2007, it’s functions are carried out by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). These functions include regulation of trading in equities, bonds, futures and options. In 1971, the NASD set up a new computerized trading system called the NASD Automated Quotations stock market, a system we know better by the acronym NASDAQ.

27. “__ Tu”: 1974 hit ERES
We have a big event across Europe every year called the Eurovision Song Contest. Each nation enters one song in competition with each other, and then voters across the whole continent decide on the winner. That’s how ABBA got their big break when they won in 1974 with “Waterloo”. In 1972, Spain’s entry was “Eres tu” (the Spanish for “You Are”) sung by the band Mocedades. “Eres tu” came second in the competition, but should have won in my humble opinion.

28. Wielder of a hammer called Mjölnir THOR
Mjölnir is the name of the hammer associated with the Norse god Thor. The name “Mjölnir” translates as “crusher”.

29. Trig function SINE
The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine, cosine and tangent. Each of these is a ratio, a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The reciprocal of these three functions are secant, cosecant and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine, cosine and tangent.

35. Popeil of infomercials RON
Ron Popeil is an inventor who is well known for appearing in infomercials for his own products. One of the more famous infomercials is for his Showtime Rotisserie, which he touts with the phrase “Set it, and forget it!”. Popeil’s company is called Ronco.

38. Like some stocks OTC
Over-the-counter (OTC) trading of stocks is a way of trading directly between two parties, as opposed to exchange trading in which trading occurs in an exchange.

41. China lead-in INDO-
In the strict sense of the term, Indochina is a region in Southeast Asia that corresponds to the former French territory known as French Indochina. Today this region is made up of the countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. However, the term “Indochina” is more generally used to describe Mainland Southeast Asia, and in this usage it also encompasses Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

42. Iconic sales rep AVON LADY
In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

43. “Dedicated to the __ Love”: ’50s-’60s hit ONE I
“Dedicated to the One I Love” is a song that is most associated with the Mamas and the Papas as they had a hit with it in 1967. Back in 1961, the same song was a big hit for The Shirelles.

49. Addis __ ABABA
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. The city is relatively young, having being founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II.

50. Out of one’s class? TRUANT
“Truant” is such a lovely word. We have been using it to describe someone who wanders from an appointed place (like someone Absent Without Leave from an Air Force Base, say) since the mid-1400s. Prior to that a truant was a beggar or a vagabond.

53. Armadas NAVIES
The most famous Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England in order to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. It failed in its mission, partly due to bad weather encountered en route. Ironically, the English mounted a similar naval attack against Spain the following year, and it failed as well.

56. “Splish Splash” singer DARIN
The singer Bobby Darin had a short but eventful life. Darin started in show business as a songwriter for Connie Francis. He then made it big as a performer with huge hits like “Splish Splash”, “Dream Lover”, “Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea”. He was active politically as a supporter of Robert Kennedy, and was present in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Kennedy was assassinated. Soon after, Darin found out that the people he thought were his parents, were in fact his grandparents. The woman he knew as his older sister was in fact his mother. Darin died following a heart operation at only 37 years old.

58. Perros may chase them GATOS
In Spanish, dogs (perros) may chase cats (gatos).

59. 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.

64. “Can I go out?” ARF!
The dog might go “arf!” when it needs to go out …

65. 1960-’61 chess champ TAL
Mikhail Tal was truly a chess legend. Tal holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in competition chess. And the second longest winning streak, well, that was by Tal as well.

67. Shih __ TZU
The Shih Tzu is one of the oldest breeds of dog, and originated in China. Shih Tzus have long hairy coats but they don’t shed.

68. One of LBJ’s beagles HIM
“Him” and “Her” were two beagles owned by President Johnson and his family while they were living in the White House. Her died after only a year when she swallowed a stone. Him died at three-years-old when he was hit by a car while chasing a squirrel across the White House lawn.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. This and that BOTH
5. Cries SOBS
9. Open the door for ADMIT
14. Met moment ARIA
15. Water-based paint LATEX
17. Mary __: ship in a Hammond Innes novel DEARE
18. Card game horn music? WINDS OF WAR (“War” is a card game)
20. Cub in comics OLSEN
21. Big backup LOGJAM
22. Fight in Dogpatch RASSLE
24. 90-degree fitting ELL
25. Card game where one person plays all the hands? LONELY HEARTS (“Hearts” is a card game)
30. 25% of Off! Deep Woods DEET
32. “Am not!” retort ARE SO!
33. Sushi shop offering AHI
34. Crop up ARISE
37. __ noodles: Chinese dish WONTON
40. Card game played in dugouts? DIAMOND SOLITAIRE (“Solitaire” is a card game)
45. Dream up INVENT
46. City south of Metz NANCY
47. Carrying-on ADO
48. Consumed EATEN
51. Mail folder SENT
55. Card game by the Thames? LONDON BRIDGE (“Bridge” is a card game)
60. “Don’t think so” NAH
61. “Ed Wood” Oscar winner LANDAU
62. Unlike couch potatoes ACTIVE
64. Pong developer ATARI
66. Card game requiring waterproof cards? BATHTUB GIN (“Gin” is a card game)
69. Contact, in a way RADIO
70. WWII beachhead near Rome ANZIO
71. Portly pirate SMEE
72. Last name of Phineas in Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb” FLYNN
73. Tablet named for an organ TUMS
74. Gone PAST

Down
1. Cried BAWLED
2. Brightly plumed songbird ORIOLE
3. Bit of excitement TINGLE
4. One of Islam’s five pillars HADJ
5. Ref’s aid SLO-MO
6. Lout OAF
7. Texter’s “Meant to tell you” BTW
8. Celebrex developer SEARLE
9. __ of reality A DOSE
10. Huey, Dewey and Louie’s mom, in early comics DELLA
11. 1993 Fiat acquisition MASERATI
12. Hostility IRE
13. Decimal base TEN
16. Looks into? X-RAYS
19. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria owner SAL
23. Do Jeeves’s job SHOW IN
26. Old 38-Down overseer NASD
27. “__ Tu”: 1974 hit ERES
28. Wielder of a hammer called Mjölnir THOR
29. Trig function SINE
31. Hardly exciting TAME
35. Popeil of infomercials RON
36. Mean INTEND
38. Like some stocks OTC
39. Thumbs-down votes NAYS
40. Retro phone feature DIAL
41. China lead-in INDO-
42. Iconic sales rep AVON LADY
43. “Dedicated to the __ Love”: ’50s-’60s hit ONE I
44. Touch down LAND
49. Addis __ ABABA
50. Out of one’s class? TRUANT
52. Conundrum ENIGMA
53. Armadas NAVIES
54. Large search area THE NET
56. “Splish Splash” singer DARIN
57. Stew veggie ONION
58. Perros may chase them GATOS
59. Old French coin ECU
63. Recipe amt. TBSP
64. “Can I go out?” ARF!
65. 1960-’61 chess champ TAL
67. Shih __ TZU
68. One of LBJ’s beagles HIM

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2 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 24 May 13, Friday”

  1. I enjoy the way you have researched the clues, but most of the time lately, the first three or four are missing. Sometimes I don't get the clue so it's nice to see what I missed. Thanks, Dotty

  2. Rats! Missed this by one letter.
    I had Naes crossing Nance. 39d &46a
    Looked good to me.

    Didn't LBJ catch a lot of flack for this Picture ?

    Bill, Is it a vacation if you're already retired ? Enjoy anyways!

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