LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Jul 13, Friday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Alan DerKazarian
THEME: Jumping Beans … the lines in the grid referenced by the asterisked clues have the names of beans hidden there, jumping across one answer to the next:

1A. *Seat often against a wall DIVAN
6A. *Antsy ILL AT EASE (van-illa bean)

15A. *Microscopic menace E COLI
16A. *The economy, in many debates MAIN ISSUE (li-ma bean)

29A. *100 centavos ONE PESO
31A. *River spanned by the Three Gorges Dam YANGTZE (so-ya bean)

43A. *Forage plant also called lucerne ALFALFA
47A. *Garlic avoider, traditionally VAMPIRE (fa-va bean)

63A. *Cultural artifacts AMERICANA
64A. *Struggling VYING (na-vy bean)

65A. *Game piece that can stand on either end CANDLEPIN
66A. *Sycophant TOADY (pin-to bean)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 24m 43s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. *Seat often against a wall DIVAN
Ottomans and divans are essentially couches without backs or arms.

15. *Microscopic menace E COLI
Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

19. Cow-horned goddess ISIS
Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children.

20. Emma of “Dynasty” SAMMS
Emma Samms is a British actress, best known for her roles in soap operas. She played Holly Sutton on the daytime drama “General Hospital”, and was the second actress to play Fallon Carrington Colby on the primetime soap “The Colbys”, a spin-off of “Dynasty”.

21. Co-star of Ingrid in “Autumn Sonata” LIV
“Autumn Sonata” is a Swedish film released in 1978 that was written and directed by, and stars the great actress Ingrid Bergman. Co-starring is actress Liv Ullmann, “Autumn Sonata” was Bergman’s last performance in a major feature film.

Liv Ullmann is a Norwegian, best known to us in North America as an actress (I saw her recently in the classic war movie “A Bridge Too Far”). Ullmann has also directed several films, including “Sofie” released in 1992. Ullmann lived with famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman for several years in the 1960s.

22. Bean cover? HAT
The bean, the conk, the head …

25. Long in films NIA
Nia Long is an American actress, probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

26. U-boat, e.g. SUB
U-boat stands for the German “Unterseeboot” (undersea boat). Notably, a U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania in 1915, an event that helped propel the US into WWI.

29. *100 centavos ONE PESO
The coin called a “peso” is used in many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The coin originated in Spain where the word “peso” means “weight”. The original peso was what we know in English as a “piece of eight”, a silver coin of a specific weight that had a nominal value of eight “reales”.

“Centavo” is a Spanish and Portuguese word, and is used for the coin that represents 1/100 of the basic monetary unit of quite a few countries, including Cuba. “Centavo” comes from the Latin “centum” meaning “one hundred” and “-avo” meaning “portion, fraction”.

31. *River spanned by the Three Gorges Dam YANGTZE
The Three Gorges region along the Yangtze River in China is known for its spectacular scenery. The area is attracting a lot of attention in recent years because of a recently completed hydroelectric dam that is changing the ecology and appearance of the land both upriver and downriver. The dam itself is the biggest electricity-generating plant in the world, with a total capacity of 22.5 GW.

33. Rod Stewart’s first wife ALANA
Alana Stewart is a former model and actress. She had two famous husbands, but both marriages ended in divorce. Her first husband was actor George Hamilton, and her second was rock star Rod Stewart.

36. Seed containing moth larva, and what is aptly hidden in each puzzle row whose clues contain asterisks JUMPING BEAN
Mexican jumping beans aren’t actually beans at all. They are seed pods in which moths have laid their eggs. The egg hatches and grows into a larva as it eats the inside of the pod. The beans “jump” when they are heated, as the larva spasms in an attempt to roll the pod away from the heat source.

42. Ziggurat features TIERS
Ziggurats were massive, terraced, step pyramids built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley. The ziggurat-style of architecture has been used in modern buildings, with notable examples being the US Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, and the MI6 Building in London.

43. *Forage plant also called lucerne ALFALFA
Alfalfa is a plant in the pea family. “Alfalfa” is the name used for the plant here in North America, but a more common name in the rest of the world is “lucerne”.

47. *Garlic avoider, traditionally VAMPIRE
“Dracula” is a novel written by the Irish author Bram Stoker, and first published in 1897. Dracula wasn’t the first vampire of literature, but he certainly was the one who spawned the popularity of vampires in theater, film and television, and indeed more novels. Personally, I can’t stand vampire fiction …

52. Portuguese pronoun ELA
“Ela” is Portuguese for “she”.

53. Common __ ERA
The designations Anno Domini (AD, “year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

57. Cole Porter’s alma mater YALE
Yale Law School was established in 1824. The school only admitted male applicants up to 1918, when it began accepting the first female students.

Cole Porter was a little unusual amongst his peers in that he was one of the few successful songwriters who wrote both lyrics and musics for his compositions. Porter was seriously injured in a riding accident when in his forties and was left disabled and in pain. Despite this, he continued to work and produced his most successful work after the accident.

58. UMass athlete MINUTEMAN
The athletic teams of the University of Massachusetts Amherst are known as the UMass Minutemen. The women’s teams are progressively referred to as Minutewomen.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) is the largest public university in New England. UMass was founded back in 1863, although it took a while to get the school into service. Construction work was delayed and the college went through two presidents before William S. Clark took charge. He cracked the whip, completed the construction and enrolled the first students in the same year that he took over the reins, in 1867. As a result, although Clark was the third President of UMass, he is regarded by most as the school’s founding father.

63. *Cultural artifacts AMERICANA
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).

65. *Game piece that can stand on either end CANDLEPIN
Candlepin bowling is quite similar to ten-pin bowling. One difference between the sports is that candlepins are much thinner and can stand on either end. Also, each player gets to bowl three ball per frame, and the balls are relatively small. The candlepin variant of bowling is popular in some New England states and in the Canadian Maritime provinces.

66. *Sycophant TOADY
A sycophant is a selfish person, one who flatters. The term comes from the Greek “sykophantes” which originally meant “one who shows the fig”. This phrase described a vulgar gesture made with the thumb and two fingers.

Down
1. Venus __ DE MILO
The famous “Venus de Milo” is so named as she was discovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Milos, on the Aegean island of the same name. I’ve been lucky enough to see the statue, in the Louvre in Paris, and was surprised at how large it is (6 ft 8 in tall).

3. Offered for a special intention, as a Mass VOTIVE
A “votive” offering is one that accompanies a vow or a pledge. The term derives from “votum”, the Latin for “vow”.

7. Vientiane’s land LAOS
Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, situated on the famous Mekong River. The city was originally called the “city of sandalwood” by Buddhist monks, naming after the valued trees that grew in the area. The French took the Pali words for “city of sandalwood” and rewrote it as the French-sounding “Vientiane”.

9. Lack of vigor ANEMIA
The term “anemia” (or “anaemia” as we write it back in Ireland) comes from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. Anemia is a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition.

10. Heartless guy? TIN MAN
Actor Jack Haley played the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz”. Haley was the second choice for the role, as it was originally given to Buddy Ebsen (who later played Jed Clampett in “The Beverly Hillbillies”). Ebsen was being “painted up” as the Tin Man when he had an extreme, near-fatal reaction from inhaling the aluminum dust makeup that was being used. When Haley took over, the makeup was changed to a paste, but it was still uncomfortable and caused him to miss the first four days of shooting due to a reaction in his eyes. During filming, Haley must have made good friends with the movie’s star, Judy Garland, as years later Jack’s son married Judy’s daughter, Liza Minnelli.

12. Faulkner’s “__ Lay Dying” AS I
“As I Lay Dying” is a novel by William Faulkner first published in 1930. The book has an unusual structure, with stream of consciousness writing throughout. There is one whole chapter that I’d like to quote here:

My mother is a fish.

That’s a five-word chapter …

13. Latin possessive SUA
“Sua” is “his” in Latin.

14. New Zealand longfin, e.g. EEL
The New Zealand Longfin eel is a freshwater eel, and the only freshwater eel endemic to the country.

23. “Stat!” relative ASAP
The exact etymology of “stat”, a term meaning “immediately” in the medical profession, seems to have been lost in the mists of time. It probably comes from the Latin “statim” meaning “to a standstill, immediately”. A blog reader has helpfully suggested that the term may also come from the world of laboratory analysis, where the acronym STAT stands for “short turnaround time”.

24. Singer Basil or Braxton TONI
Toni Basil is the stage name of the singer Antonia Christina Basilotta. Basil is best known for her fun 1982 hit called “Mickey”.

Toni Braxton is a very successful R&B singer, but one who seems to have trouble managing her financial affairs. After two highly successful albums, she had to file for bankruptcy protection in 1993. She recovered and had even more success, and then had to file for bankruptcy again in 2010.

27. Israeli arm UZI
The first Uzi submachine gun was designed in the late 1940s by Major Uziel Gal of the Israel Defense Forces who gave his name to the gun.

30. Golfer Creamer PAULA
Paula Creamer is a American golfer, the current US Open champion. She is a local here where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Indeed, as her career took off we were members of the same golf club here in town. I taught her everything she knows …

36. Barcelona boss JEFE
“Jefe” is Spanish for “chief”.

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, after the capital Madrid. Barcelona is the largest European city that sits on the Mediterranean coast. It is also the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia.

39. Aretha’s singing sister ERMA
Erma Franklin was an R&B and gospel singer. She was the elder sister of Aretha Franklin. Erma toured with Aretha for a while, and even recorded backup vocals on her sister’s big hit “Respect”.

40. Kit __ KAT
I grew up eating Kit Kat bars as a kid, as the chocolate confection has been around since the thirties. Kit Kats didn’t hit the shelves in the US until the seventies. I’ve seen new varieties of Kit Kat over in the UK, such as an orange-flavored version, but haven’t seen anything like that over here.

41. 57-Across grad ELI
(57. Cole Porter’s alma mater YALE)
Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

46. TripTik, notably AAA MAP
“TripTik” is the brand name for customized travel maps provided by AAA for its members.

48. Roma’s home ITALIA
In Italian, the city of Rome (Roma) is in Italy (Italia).

49. WWI French aviator Garros ROLAND
Roland Garros was a French aviator, noted as a fighter pilot during WWI. Garros is sometimes described as the world’s first fighter ace, but this isn’t true. He shot down four aircraft in total, and five kills are required in order to earn the name “ace”.

50. Einstein’s “E” ENERGY
In Albert Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2, “E” stands for energy, “m” stands for mass, and “c” stands for the speed of light.

55. Southeastern Turkey native KURD
Most of the Kurdish people live in a region known as Kurdistan, which stretches into parts of Iran, Syria, Turkey as well as northern Iraq.

56. “__ California”: Red Hot Chili Peppers hit DANI
Red Hot Chili Peppers are a rock band from Los Angeles that got together in 1983. I should know more, but I just don’t …

57. It has its ups and downs YO-YO
Would you believe that the first yo-yos date back to 500 BC? There is even an ancient Greek vase painting that shows a young man playing with a yo-yo. Centuries later Filipinos were using yo-yos as hunting tools in the 1500s. “Yo-yo” is a Tagalog (Filipino) word meaning “come-come” or simply “return”.

59. The Beatles’ “__ Loser” I’M A
The Beatles song “I’m a Loser” first appeared on the “Beatles for Sale” album in 1964. The first pressing of the album listed the song’s title as “I’m a Losser”. If you have one of those records, I’d say it’s worth a pretty penny …

60. Three-time All-Star reliever Robb NEN
Robb Nen is a former relief pitcher, best known for as a player with the San Francisco Giants.

61. Bread served with chicken tikka masala NAN
In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular. Naan is traditionally baked in a clay oven known as a tandoor.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. *Seat often against a wall DIVAN
6. *Antsy ILL AT EASE
15. *Microscopic menace E COLI
16. *The economy, in many debates MAIN ISSUE
17. Music genre METAL
18. It’s not always met POTENTIAL
19. Cow-horned goddess ISIS
20. Emma of “Dynasty” SAMMS
21. Co-star of Ingrid in “Autumn Sonata” LIV
22. Bean cover? HAT
25. Long in films NIA
26. U-boat, e.g. SUB
29. *100 centavos ONE PESO
31. *River spanned by the Three Gorges Dam YANGTZE
33. Rod Stewart’s first wife ALANA
35. Subvert RUIN
36. Seed containing moth larva, and what is aptly hidden in each puzzle row whose clues contain asterisks JUMPING BEAN
40. Ship’s spine KEEL
42. Ziggurat features TIERS
43. *Forage plant also called lucerne ALFALFA
47. *Garlic avoider, traditionally VAMPIRE
51. Overtime cause TIE
52. Portuguese pronoun ELA
53. Common __ ERA
54. Considerable amount TON
55. Work with, as clay KNEAD
57. Cole Porter’s alma mater YALE
58. UMass athlete MINUTEMAN
62. With 38-Down, Arctic denizen POLAR
63. *Cultural artifacts AMERICANA
64. *Struggling VYING
65. *Game piece that can stand on either end CANDLEPIN
66. *Sycophant TOADY

Down
1. Venus __ DE MILO
2. Strands in winter, perhaps ICES IN
3. Offered for a special intention, as a Mass VOTIVE
4. Pained cry ALAS!
5. Zippo NIL
6. Rambunctious sort IMP
7. Vientiane’s land LAOS
8. Long account LITANY
9. Lack of vigor ANEMIA
10. Heartless guy? TIN MAN
11. Neighborhood figures?: Abbr. ESTS
12. Faulkner’s “__ Lay Dying” AS I
13. Latin possessive SUA
14. New Zealand longfin, e.g. EEL
22. Bridge position HELM
23. “Stat!” relative ASAP
24. Singer Basil or Braxton TONI
26. Sci-fi setting STUN
27. Israeli arm UZI
28. Son of, to an Israeli BEN
30. Golfer Creamer PAULA
32. Apprehend GRASP
34. Picnic pest ANT
36. Barcelona boss JEFE
37. Buckle GIVE
38. See 62-Across BEAR
39. Aretha’s singing sister ERMA
40. Kit __ KAT
41. 57-Across grad ELI
44. Soup bean LENTIL
45. Take for a ride FLEECE
46. TripTik, notably AAA MAP
48. Roma’s home ITALIA
49. WWI French aviator Garros ROLAND
50. Einstein’s “E” ENERGY
55. Southeastern Turkey native KURD
56. “__ California”: Red Hot Chili Peppers hit DANI
57. It has its ups and downs YO-YO
58. Bub MAC
59. The Beatles’ “__ Loser” I’M A
60. Three-time All-Star reliever Robb NEN
61. Bread served with chicken tikka masala NAN
62. Cpl.’s inferior PVT

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6 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Jul 13, Friday”

  1. Bill, thank you for your most interesting and cogent explanations.

    I find it especially useful in your blog – that you not only explain the answer but also the question – the clue. This is wonderful because sometimes I do not understand what the clue refers to, or where it incomes from.

    Thank you I again.

  2. If I may add a little to the 'Anemia' – The disease / symptom is due to the deficiency of Vitamin B12 in the blood / body metabolism. Five scientists have won Nobel Prizes for this discovery and the identification and eventual synthesis of Vit. B12 – which was originally commercially manufactured by Merck, Sharpe and Dohme, in the USA..

  3. You would think that with the other non theme related bean clues and answers he could have slipped in this
    Bean

    Ardent, I too appreciate Bill's explanations for the clues and answers. Especially those that leave me scratching my bean:)

Comments are closed.