LA Times Crossword Answers 7 Mar 14, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Bruce Haight
THEME: Missing the E … today’s puzzle is missing the letter E. There isn’t one E used in either the answers or the clues. The only E to be seen is the big one drawn in the center of the grid by black squares:

65A. What this grid’s big symbol is, Across and Down MISSING

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 29m 04s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

14. __ Jima IWO
Iwo Jima is a volcanic island located south of Tokyo that today is uninhabited. There were about a thousand Japanese civilians living on the island prior to WWII. In 1944, there was a massive influx of Japanese military personnel in anticipation of the inevitable US invasion. As the Japanese military moved in, the civilians were forced out and no one has lived there since.

15. High-class tobacco products HAVANAS
Havana (and the Spanish “Habano”) is a registered trademark used on Cuban cigars.

16. Samovar URN
The samovar originated in Russia, and is often a very elegant water boiler, usually for making tea. As such, there is often an attachment on top of a samovar to keep a teapot warm.

17. GPS finding LAT
Latitude (lat.)

19. Nonpro sports org. AAU
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) sponsors the AAU Junior Olympic Games, an annual competition held in different cities across the United States, starting in Washington D.C. in 1967, and most recently in Des Moines, Iowa in 2009.

22. Providing with a transcript, possibly CCING
I wonder do the kids of today know that “cc” stands for carbon copy, and do they have any idea what a carbon copy was? Do you remember how messy carbon paper was to handle?

24. __-tzu LAO
Lao Tse (also Lao-Tzu) was a central figure in the development of the religion/philosophy of Taoism.

32. Turkic Russian TATAR
Tatars are an ethnic group of people, mainly residing in Russia (a population of about 5 1/2 million). Actor Charles Bronson had a Tatar heritage. Bronson’s real name was Charles Buchinsky.

33. Histrionic display DRAMATICS
The term “histrionic”, meaning “theatrical”, comes to us via Latin from the word “histrio” that is believed to an Etruscan word for “actor”.

37. Roast, in a Baja dish ASADA
“Carne Asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.

Baja California is both the most northern and the most western of the Mexican states. The name translates from Spanish as “Lower California”.

39. __ mining STRIP
Strip mining is a process used to mine minerals that are relatively close to the surface. A long strip of overlying soil and rock is first removed, and then the ore beneath is excavated. Once each long strip has been excavated then the overlying soil and rock is redeposited. Strip mining wouldn’t be most environmentally friendly practice …

40. “Argo” actor ALAN ARKIN
The actor Alan Arkin won his only Oscar (Best Supporting Actor) for his role in “Little Miss Sunshine” from 2006, a movie that I just did not understand …

“Argo” is a 2012 movie that is based on the true story of the rescue of six diplomats hiding out during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The film was directed by and stars Ben Affleck and is produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney, the same pair who produced the excellent “Good Night, and Good Luck”. I saw “Argo” soon after it was released and recommend it, although I found the scenes of religious fervor pretty frightening …

43. NBA coach Thomas ISIAH
Isiah Thomas played his whole professional basketball-playing career with the Detroit Pistons, and he is now the head coach with Florida International University’s Golden Panthers. When you’re out shopping for popcorn, keep an eye out for the Dale & Thomas brand, as it’s co-owned by Isiah Thomas.

44. Historic town in Lazio TIVOLI
Tivoli is an ancient town in Italy, located about 20 miles outside Rome. Tivoli is home to a Temple of Vesta, not to be confused with the more familiar Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum, which was home to the Vestal Virgins.

Lazio is one 20 administrative regions that cover Italy. Lazio is in the center of the country on the west coast, and is home to the capital city of Rome.

45. Santa __ winds ANA
The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically “falls” down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.

52. 3-D graph part Z-AXIS
The dimension of an object is defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify each point in the object. Therefore a line is one-dimensional, as you only need an x-coordinate to specify a particular point on the line. A plane is two-dimensional, as you need both an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate to locate a point on the plane. The inside of a solid object is then three-dimensional, needing an x-, y- and z-coordinate to specify a point, say within a cube.

54. “South Pacific” song BALI HA’I
The song “Bali Ha’i” is from the musical “South Pacific” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. In the musical, Bali Ha’i is the name of a volcanic island that neighbors the island on which the story takes place.

The 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific” is based on stories from the 1947 book “Tales of the South Pacific” by James A. Michener. “South Pacific” really is a classic show, featuring some classic songs like “Bali Ha’i”, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair”, “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Happy Talk”.

60. Highway or city stat MPG
Miles per gallon (MPG)

61. “Illmatic” rap star NAS
Rapper Nas used to go by another stage name, Nasty Nas, and before that by his real name, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones. Nas released his first album “Illmatic” in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album “Stillmatic”, released in 2001. Not my cup of tea, I would say …

64. Room with hoops GYM
Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed.

66. Albany is its cap. NYS
New York’s state capital of Albany was founded as a Dutch trading post called Fort Nassau in 1614. The English took over the settlement in 1664 and called it Albany, naming it after the future King of England James II, whose title at the time was the Duke of Albany.

Down
1. Dump JILT
To “jilt” someone with whom you have a relationship is to drop them suddenly or callously. “Jilt” is an obsolete noun that used to mean “harlot” or “loose woman”.

3. Autocratic approach TOTALITARIANISM
Totalitarianism is the political system in which the state strives for complete control over all aspects of public and private life. One of the more famous leaders in recent times who openly embraced totalitarianism was Benito Mussolini, leader of Italy’s National Fascist Party up until his ousting in 1943.

5. Poison __ OAK
Two of the plants that are most painful to humans are poison oak and poison ivy. Poison oak is mainly found west of the Rocky Mountains, and poison ivy to the east.

6. Morgantown’s st. WVA
The city of Morgantown in northern West Virginia is named for Zackquill Morgan who moved into the area in 1767. Zackquill’s father’s name was Morgan Morgan, so I guess the family liked the Morgan name …

7. Low island CAY
A “key” (also “cay”) is a low island offshore, as in the Florida Keys. Our term in English comes from the Spanish “cayo” meaning “shoal, reef”.

8. Afr. country ANG
Angola is a country in south-central Africa, on the west coast. Angola is the fourth largest diamond exporter in Africa, after Botswana, the Congo and South Africa. Such a valuable export hasn’t really helped the living standard of the country’s citizens as life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the poorest on the continent.

9. If said again, group in a 1950s African uprising MAU
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

11. Draw back with alarm QUAIL
“To quail” means “to cower”.

23. Country abutting Nicaragua COSTA RICA
Costa Rica is in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua in the north, and Panama to the South. Costa Rica is remarkable in my opinion, a leader on the world stage in many areas. It has been referred to as the “greenest” country in the world, the “happiest” country in the world, and has a highly educated populace. In 1949, the country unilaterally abolished its own army, permanently …

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, lying between Honduras to the north, and Costa Rica to the south. The etymology of the name “Nicaragua” is not very certain. One suggestion is that it is a melding of the name “Nicarao” and “agua”, the Spanish for “water”. Nicarao was the name of the largest city in the area when the Spanish arrived, and it is thought that “agua” refers to the two large lakes: Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua.

26. Not down: Abbr. ACR
Not down, but across (acr.)

27. FDR loan org. NHA
As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the National Housing Agency (NHA) was established in 1942. The NHA was one of the government agencies that was to evolve over time in today’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

28. Papa John’s rival DOMINO’S
Domino’s Pizza started out as DomiNick’s, a pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The store was purchased by Dominic’s founder Tom Monaghan in 1960, along with his brother. Tom bought out his brother a few months later, for the price of a used VW! The store was renamed Domino’s Pizza in 1965, and two years later the first franchise store was opened. There are now over 8,000 stores worldwide, including one in Tallaght in Ireland, the town where I lived for many years in my youth. That Tallaght store became the first Domino’s outlet in the world to hit a turnover of $3 million a year. We Irish obviously have terrible taste when it comes to pizza …

Papa John’s is the third largest takeout and delivery pizza chain in the US, with Pizza Hut and Domino’s taking the top spots.

29. GDR spy group STASI
The Ministry for State Security in East Germany was commonly referred to as the Stasi. “Stasi” is an abbreviation for “Staatssicherheit”, which translates as “State Security”.

The former East Germany was known officially as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), or Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR).

35. __ bono: “Who stands to gain?” in law CUI
“Cui bono” is a Latin phrase meaning “as a benefit to whom?” One use of the phrase is in determining who might be guilty. Of the list of suspects, who might benefit from the crime?

36. B&O stop STN
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) was one of the oldest in the country. Construction started on the railroad in 1828 in order to offer a method of transportation inland from Baltimore. This was deemed necessary as Baltimore was losing business to New York City after the completion of the Erie Canal (which cheaply and efficiently moved goods inland).

40. Org. for Nadal and Djokovic ATP
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is an organization that looks after the interests of male tennis professionals. The equivalent organization for women is the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player who is noted for his expertise on clay courts, earning him the nickname “The King of Clay”.

Novak Djokovic is a Serbian tennis player, currently the world No. 1. Djokovic is quite the character off the court it seems and he is very popular on the talk-show circuit, all around the world. It also helps that Djokovic is fluent in several languages.

41. Lucy of “Kill Bill” LIU
Lucy Liu is an actress from Queens, New York. Liu’s big break came when she was chosen to play the Ling Woo character in “Ally McBeal”. I liked her in the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” but as I am no fan of Quentin Tarantino, I did not enjoy the movie “Kill Bill”. I am having fun watching one of Liu’s more recent projects, in which she plays one of the two leads in the TV crime drama “Elementary”.

42. Colorado NHL club, to fans AVS
The Colorado Avalanche is a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche were founded in Quebec in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques, and moved to Denver in 1995.

47. Band guitarist, in slang AXMAN
I guess a guitar looks like an ax(e) …

49. Army squad NCOs SSGTS
Staff sergeant (SSgt)

51. Words from Watson I SAY
In the marvelous Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson is referred to only by his family name, except for two occasions when it is revealed that his first name is John. However, in a third and final mention, Dr. Watson is called “James” by his wife, apparently a lapse in memory on the part of the author.

55. Buy from Sajak AN I
Pat Sajak took over the hosting of “Wheel of Fortune” back in 1983 and has been doing the job ever since. Sajak had a short run as a talk show host in 1989/1990 and used to sub quite often for Larry King and Regis Philbin.

56. Paris lily LIS
“Lys” (also “lis”) is the French word for “lily”, as in “fleur-de-lys”, the heraldic symbol often associated with the French monarchy.

58. __ polloi HOI
“Hoi polloi” is a Greek term, literally meaning “the majority, the many”. In English, “hoi polloi” has come to mean “the masses” and is often used in a derogatory sense.

59. Valiant’s son ARN
“Prince Valiant” is a comic strip that first appeared in 1937 when it was created by Hal Foster. Edward, Duke of Windsor called the “Prince Valiant” comic strip the “greatest contribution to English Literature in the past one hundred years”. I’m not so sure …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Small amount JOT
4. WWII MIA location POW CAMP
11. NFL captains QBS
14. __ Jima IWO
15. High-class tobacco products HAVANAS
16. Samovar URN
17. GPS finding LAT
18. Good chap OKAY GUY
19. Nonpro sports org. AAU
20. Plot TRACT
22. Providing with a transcript, possibly CCING
24. __-tzu LAO
25. Climbing aids HANDHOLDS
29. Arm support SLING
31. Viral chorus? ACHOOS
32. Turkic Russian TATAR
33. Histrionic display DRAMATICS
37. Roast, in a Baja dish ASADA
38. Stuck IN A RUT
39. __ mining STRIP
40. “Argo” actor ALAN ARKIN
43. NBA coach Thomas ISIAH
44. Historic town in Lazio TIVOLI
45. Santa __ winds ANA
46. Innocuous sorts PUSSYCATS
50. Way to find out what you know FINAL
52. 3-D graph part Z-AXIS
53. “It’s just __ thought …” AS I
54. “South Pacific” song BALI HA’I
60. Highway or city stat MPG
61. “Illmatic” rap star NAS
62. Mythical symbol of purity UNICORN
63. Fitting APT
64. Room with hoops GYM
65. What this grid’s big symbol is, Across and Down MISSING
66. Albany is its cap. NYS

Down
1. Dump JILT
2. Man __ O’ WAR
3. Autocratic approach TOTALITARIANISM
4. Book with shots PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM
5. Poison __ OAK
6. Morgantown’s st. WVA
7. Low island CAY
8. Afr. country ANG
9. If said again, group in a 1950s African uprising MAU
10. Studying on a couch? PSYCHOANALYZING
11. Draw back with alarm QUAIL
12. Stock mark BRAND
13. Curls up SNUGS
21. Books about Toronto and Ottawa, say CANADIANA
23. Country abutting Nicaragua COSTA RICA
25. Put away HAD
26. Not down: Abbr. ACR
27. FDR loan org. NHA
28. Papa John’s rival DOMINO’S
29. GDR spy group STASI
30. Holds up LASTS
34. Annoy IRK
35. __ bono: “Who stands to gain?” in law CUI
36. B&O stop STN
40. Org. for Nadal and Djokovic ATP
41. Lucy of “Kill Bill” LIU
42. Colorado NHL club, to fans AVS
47. Band guitarist, in slang AXMAN
48. Lacking stability TIPPY
49. Army squad NCOs SSGTS
50. Sharp tooth FANG
51. Words from Watson I SAY
55. Buy from Sajak AN I
56. Paris lily LIS
57. Suffix with tact -ICS
58. __ polloi HOI
59. Valiant’s son ARN

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