LA Times Crossword Answers 14 Jun 13, Friday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Marti DuGuay-Carpenter
THEME: B Added to M … each of today’s themed answers are well known phrases with a B added after a letter M to suit the clue:

18A. Like a door with three people squeezing through it together? JAMB-PACKED (from “jam-packed”)
33A. Where to find wool? ON THE LAMB (from “on the lam”)
45A. Out-of-control carpenter’s tool? WILD PLUMB (from “wild plum”)
63A. Title for Shakespeare? IAMB LEGEND (from “I Am Legend”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 12m 41s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Code name MORSE
Samuel Morse was a very accomplished and reputable painter (he was engaged to paint a portrait of President John Adams, for example). In 1825 Morse was in Washington working on a commissioned painting when he received a one-line letter by horse messenger telling him that his wife was ill. He left immediately for his home in New Haven, Connecticut but by the time that Morse arrived his wife had already died and had been buried. This single event spurred him to move from painting to the development of a rapid means of long distance communication, leading to the single-wire telegraph and Morse code.

15. Hodgepodges OLIOS
Olio is a term meaning a hodgepodge or a mixture, coming from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew in turn takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the clay pot used for cooking.

“Hochepot” is an Old French word for stew or soup, and this gave rise to an Anglo-French legal term for a collection of property that was gathered prior to being divided up. This became our “hodgepodge” in the early 1400s.

16. Lincoln who was the first screen Tarzan ELMO
Actor Elmo Lincoln is most remembered as the first person to portray Tarzan on the big screen. Lincoln starred in the 1918 silent movie “Tarzan of the Apes”. Technically speaking, Lincoln was the second to portray the character as Gordon Griffith played Tarzan as a child in the same film.

17. D.C. dealers POLS
Politicians (pols.)

18. Like a door with three people squeezing through it together? JAMB-PACKED (from “jam-packed”)
A door or window jamb is the vertical portion of the frame. The term “jamb” comes from the French word “jambe” meaning “leg”.

23. “Cotton Comes to Harlem” director Davis OSSIE
Ossie Davis was a very successful African-American actor, but also a director, poet, playwright and social activist. In the CBS sitcom “Evening Shade”, Davis played the narrator.

24. Alice’s restaurant DINER
The TV sitcom “Alice” ran from 1976 to 1985, a story about a widow named Alice who takes a job at Mel’s Diner. The show was based on a very successful 1974 movie called “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” directed by Martin Scorsese (his first Hollywood production) and starring Ellen Burstyn and Kris Kristofferson.

33. Where to find wool? ON THE LAMB (from “on the lam”)
To be “on the lam” is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

38. Milne joey ROO
Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”, Roo is based on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne’s son, Christopher Robin.

“Joey” is the name given to all infant marsupials, not just kangaroos. No one really seems to know for sure what the etymology is of the term “joey”.

42. Long-nosed fish GAR
The fish known as a gar is very unusual in that it is often found in very brackish water. What is interesting about gar is that their swim bladders are vascularized so that they can actually function as lungs. Many species of gar can actually be seen coming to the surface and taking a gulp of air. This adaptation makes it possible for them to live in conditions highly unsuitable for other fish that rely on their gills to get oxygen out of the water. Indeed, quite interesting …

43. Expressionist Nolde EMIL
Emil Nolde was a German Expressionist painter. He was actually born Emil Hansen, near the village of Nolde in the Prussian Duchy of Schleswig in 1867. Hansen officially changed his name to Nolde on the occasion of his marriage in 1902.

45. Out-of-control carpenter’s tool? WILD PLUMB (from “wild plum”)
“Plumbum” is the Latin for lead, explaining why the symbol of the element in the Periodic Table is “Pb”. It also explains why the original lead weight on the end of a line used to check vertical was called a “plumb line”. And, as pipes were originally made of lead, it also explains why we would call in a “plumber” if one of them was leaking.

47. Rauch who plays Bernadette on “The Big Bang Theory” MELISSA
Melissa Rauch is the actress who plays Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the great sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”.

50. Depression DALE
Dales are open valleys, especially in the Lowlands of Scotland and in the North of England. In the same locales, it is common to find dales flanked by “fells”, which are the mountains or hills flanking the valley.

51. Name that means “cool breeze” in Hawaiian KEANU
Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor whose most celebrated roles were a metalhead in “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (1989), a cop in “Speed” (1994) and the main antagonist in “The Matrix” series of films. Although Reeves is a Canadian national, he was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Reeves has some Hawaiian descent and the name “Keanu” is Hawaiian for “the coldness”.

53. Like the columns in the Jefferson Memorial IONIC
An Ionic column is relatively ornate. It usually has grooves running up and down its length and at the top there is a “scroll” design called a “volute”. The scroll motif makes Ionic columns popular for the design of academic buildings. The term “Ionic” means “pertaining to Ionia”, with Ionia being an ancient territory that is located in modern-day Turkey.

The beautiful Jefferson Memorial was completed in 1947 and sits on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The idea for the memorial really came from President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he was a great admirer of President Jefferson.

57. Lava rock BASALT
Basalt is a volcanic rock created when lava cools rapidly at the earth’s surface.

60. Nickname for Mendelssohn’s Third Symphony SCOTTISH
Felix Mendelssohn’s 3rd Symphony in A minor is nicknamed “the Scottish”. Mendelssohn got the inspiration for the piece while on a walking tour of Scotland in 1829.

63. Title for Shakespeare? IAMB LEGEND (from “I Am Legend”)
An iamb is a metrical foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” consists of lines made up of four sequential iambs e.g. “Whose woods / these are / I think / I know”. With a sequence of four iambs, the poem’s structure is described as iambic tetrameter.

“I Am Legend” is a 1955 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson that tells of an apparent sole survivor of a pandemic. The survivor has to fight off zombie-like vampires who come out at night. “I Am Legend” was famously adapted into a 1971 movie called “The Omega Man” starring Charlton Heston, and then into a 2007 film using the same title as the novel, which stars Will Smith.

66. Chanteur Jacques BREL
Jacques Brel was a songwriter from Belgium whose songs were most popular in France, although English translations of his works became hits for artists all around the world.

68. Fraternity letters RHOS
Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”.

69. WWI German vice admiral SPEE
Maximilian Graf von Spee was actually born in Denmark, but of a noble German family. By the time WWI started, Spee had risen to the rank of Rear Admiral in the German Navy. He was killed in the Battle of the Falkland Islands (the original 1914 version!). Of course he gave his name to the powerful pocket battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee, which was damaged in the Battle of the River Plate during WWII. The Graf Spee took refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo and when the boat was expelled by the government of Uruguay, the captain scuttled her rather than face the Allied flotilla waiting for her just outside the port.

Down
1. Marx Brothers straight man ZEPPO
The five Marx Brothers were born to “Minnie” and “Frenchy” Marx in New York City. The more famous older boys were Chico, Harpo and Groucho. Zeppo was the youngest brother, and he appeared in the early Marx Brothers movies. The fifth son was called Gummo, and he decided to pursue a different career off the stage.

5. “Got My ___ Working”: 1957 Muddy Waters song MOJO
Muddy Waters was a musician from Mississippi who was nicknamed the “father of modern Chicago blues”.

6. Buck heroine O-LAN
Pearl S. Buck’s novel “The Good Earth” won a Pulitzer in 1932, and helped Buck win the Nobel Prize for literature a few years later. The story tells of life in a Chinese village and follows the fortunes of Wang Lung and his wife O-Lan. Although “The Good Earth” has been around for decades, it hit the bestseller list again in 2004 when it was a pick for Oprah’s Book Club.

7. Covered with frost RIMED
Rime is that beautiful coating of ice that forms on surfaces like roofs, trees and grass, when cold water freezes instantly under the right conditions.

8. __ sister SOB
“Sob sister” is the name given to a female journalist who is employed to write or edit so called “sob stories”, accounts of personal hardship or misfortune.

9. Andorra neighbor, locally ESPANA
Andorra is a small principality nestled in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Andorra is a very prosperous country, mainly due to its status as a tax haven and thriving tourist industry. We used help out the tourist industry there in the winters, enjoying a couple of skiing holidays there. Happy memories …

11. “Now, Voyager” actress Chase ILKA
Ilka Chase was an actress and novelist. Chase appeared on stage in a play called “In Bed We Cry”, which was an adaptation of her own novel of the same name.

The 1942 movie “Now, Voyager” stars Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains. The film is based on a novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty. Prouty got the title of her book from the Walt Whitman poem “The Untold Want”:

The untold want by life and land ne’er granted,
Now, voyager, sail thou forth, to seek and find.

13. Broadway barber TODD
“Sweeney Todd” was originally a 1936 film, and later in 1973 a play, then a 1979 musical and a movie adaptation of the musical in 2007. After Sweeney Todd has killed his victims, his partner in crime Mrs. Lovett helped him dispose of the bodies by taking the flesh and baking it into meat pies that she sold in her pie shop. Ugh!

19. Support in a swindle ABET
The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.

28. LPGA golfer Yani Tseng’s homeland TAIWAN
Yani Tseng is a professional golfer from Taiwan. She is currently ranked number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.

30. Prego rival RAGU
The Ragu brand of pasta sauce is owned by Unilever. The name ” Ragù” is the Italian word for a sauce used to dress pasta, however the spelling is off a little. In Italian the word is “Ragù” with a grave accent over the “u”, but if you look at a jar of the Unilever sauce, it is spelled “Ragú” on the label, with an acute accent. Sometimes I think we just don’t try …

31. Netherlands export EDAM
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.

32. Certain Slav SERB
The Slavic peoples are in the majority in communities covering over half of Europe. This large ethnic group is traditionally broken down into three smaller groups:

– the West Slavic (including Czechs and Poles)
– the East Slavic (including Russians and Ukrainians)
– the South Slavic (including Bulgarians and Serbs)

33. Utah Valley University city OREM
Orem, Utah was originally known as “Sharon” (a Biblical name), then “Provo Bench”, and in 1914 it was given the family name of a local railroad operator called “Orem”. Orem gave itself the nickname “Family City USA” and sure enough in 2010, “Forbes” rated Orem the 5th best place in the country to raise a family.

34. Iditarod terminus NOME
Nome, Alaska has over 3,500 residents, the majority of whom are Native American. The next largest ethnic group in Nome is the white population.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers a massive 1,161 miles. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. The fastest finishing time was set in 2002 at just under 9 days. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

40. Nutritionist’s no. RDA
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

46. Suit in a circus LEOTARD
The garment known as a leotard was named for French trapeze artist Jules Léotard. Léotard wore such a garment when he was performing.

49. Bed sheet material SATEEN
Sateen is a cotton fabric, with a weave that is “four over, one under” meaning that most of the threads come to the surface giving it a softer feel.

56. Mating game CHESS
In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.

58. Group with many boomers AARP
AARP is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

A baby boomer is someone who was born in the post-WWII baby boom. The rate of births had been falling fairly steadily in the US at least since 1900, but this trend was sharply reversed in 1946 after WWII. The higher birth rate continued until 1964, when it returned to pre-war levels. Since then the birth rate has continued to decline, although at a slower pace. The period between 1946 and 1964 is defined as the “baby boom”.

59. Fictional 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!

61. Tech news website CNET
c|net is an excellent technology website. c|net started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as a host on a c|net show.

64. MBA hopeful’s test 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. Go like heck ZOOM
5. Code name MORSE
10. Lose on purpose DIET
14. Upper hand EDGE
15. Hodgepodges OLIOS
16. Lincoln who was the first screen Tarzan ELMO
17. D.C. dealers POLS
18. Like a door with three people squeezing through it together? JAMB-PACKED (from “jam-packed”)
20. Maker of Dex-Cool antifreeze/coolant PRESTONE
22. End of a conductor’s shout ABOARD
23. “Cotton Comes to Harlem” director Davis OSSIE
24. Alice’s restaurant DINER
26. Biol. branch ANAT
29. Temperaments NATURES
33. Where to find wool? ON THE LAMB (from “on the lam”)
37. Great way to have it MADE
38. Milne joey ROO
39. Helpers of the ill-suited? TAILORS
42. Long-nosed fish GAR
43. Expressionist Nolde EMIL
45. Out-of-control carpenter’s tool? WILD PLUMB (from “wild plum”)
47. Rauch who plays Bernadette on “The Big Bang Theory” MELISSA
50. Depression DALE
51. Name that means “cool breeze” in Hawaiian KEANU
53. Like the columns in the Jefferson Memorial IONIC
57. Lava rock BASALT
60. Nickname for Mendelssohn’s Third Symphony SCOTTISH
63. Title for Shakespeare? IAMB LEGEND (from “I Am Legend”)
65. Troubling spots ACNE
66. Chanteur Jacques BREL
67. Dropped the ball ERRED
68. Fraternity letters RHOS
69. WWI German vice admiral SPEE
70. Hornet homes NESTS
71. P.D. ranks DETS

Down
1. Marx Brothers straight man ZEPPO
2. Stinks ODORS
3. Looks lustfully at OGLES
4. Delivery man? MESSIAH
5. “Got My ___ Working”: 1957 Muddy Waters song MOJO
6. Buck heroine O-LAN
7. Covered with frost RIMED
8. __ sister SOB
9. Andorra neighbor, locally ESPANA
10. Propriety DECORUM
11. “Now, Voyager” actress Chase ILKA
12. Hosp. area EMER
13. Broadway barber TODD
19. Support in a swindle ABET
21. Belief TENET
25. Shown so you can’t miss it IN BOLD
27. In the manner of A LA
28. LPGA golfer Yani Tseng’s homeland TAIWAN
30. Prego rival RAGU
31. Netherlands export EDAM
32. Certain Slav SERB
33. Utah Valley University city OREM
34. Iditarod terminus NOME
35. Exhausting effort TOIL
36. 11th-century date MLI
40. Nutritionist’s no. RDA
41. Take a hike SPLIT
44. Charming LIKABLE
46. Suit in a circus LEOTARD
48. Peddle SELL
49. Bed sheet material SATEEN
52. Manipulators USERS
54. Specialized market segment NICHE
55. Isn’t expanded? IS NOT
56. Mating game CHESS
57. Strained-carrot holders BIBS
58. Group with many boomers AARP
59. Fictional pirate SMEE
61. Tech news website CNET
62. Track figures ODDS
64. MBA hopeful’s test GRE

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