LA Times Crossword Answers 11 Mar 14, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette
THEME: Vowel Progression … today’s themed answers start with similar-sounding words, FLAT through FLUTE, with a vowel sound progressing sequentially from A to U:

17A. Penniless FLAT BROKE
26A. Like champion sprinters FLEET-FOOTED
41A. Worker in the sky FLIGHT ATTENDANT
52A. Suggest something tentatively FLOAT AN IDEA
64A. Piece for two winds FLUTE DUET

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 12s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Pi r squared, for a circle AREA
By definition, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter is the mathematical constant known as pi. The same constant shows up as the ratio of a circle’s area to its radius squared.

5. Encyclopedia tidbit FACT
An encyclopedia is a compendium reference work containing summary information about a branch of knowledge, or about all knowledge. The word “encyclopedia” comes from the Greek “enkyklios paideia” meaning “general education”, or literally “general rearing of a child”.

19. Powerful person NABOB
A nabob is a person of wealth and prominence. “Nabob” derives from the title of a governor in India.

23. Singer DiFranco ANI
Ani DiFranco is a folk-rock singer and songwriter. DiFranco has also been labeled a “feminist icon”, and in 2006 won the “Woman of Courage Award” from National Organization of Women.

24. Crone HAG
“Hag” is a shortened form of the Old English word “haegtesse” meaning, “witch”.

29. Capri suffix -OTE
A Capriote is a native of the Isle of Capri.

The island of Capri off the coast of Southern Italy has been a tourist resort since the days of ancient Rome. Capri is home to the famous Blue Grotto, a sea cave that is illuminated with sunlight that’s colored blue as it passes through the seawater into the cave.

30. Little lie FIB
To “fib” is to “to tell a lie”. The term likely comes from “fibble-fable” meaning “nonsense”, itself derived from “fable”.

31. Church-founded Dallas sch. SMU
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is located in University Park, Texas (part of Dallas), and was founded in 1911. SMU is home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

32. FDR’s dog FALA
Fala was the famous Scottish Terrier that was ever present at the side of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for many years. The terrier was a Christmas gift to the president from his cousin, who had named the dog Big Boy while she trained him as a puppy. President Roosevelt renamed him after an ancestor of his from Falahill in Scotland, so the dog’s full name was Murray the Outlaw of Falahill. Fala lived on for several years after the president’s passing. I’ve had the privilege of visiting the gravesites of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde Park, New York, and Fala is buried just a few feet away from his master.

37. Mythological sky holder ATLAS
In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan who was tasked with holding up the celestial sphere on his shoulders. The Greeks observed the planets moving and the stars in fixed positions. They believed that the stars were on the surface of a single starry sphere, the celestial sphere that was supported by Atlas.

44. Foil maker ALCOA
The Aluminum Corporation of America (ALCOA) is the largest producer of aluminum in the United States. The company was founded in 1888 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where its headquarters are to this day.

Before thin sheets of aluminum metal was available, thin sheets of tin were used in various application. Tin foil isn’t a great choice for wrapping food though, as it imparts a tinny taste. On the other side of the pond, aluminum foil has a different name. No, it’s not just the different spelling of aluminum (“aluminium”). We still call it “tin foil”. You see, we live in the past …

51. Darjeeling, for one TEA
Darjeeling tea comes from the Darjeeling district of West Bengal in India.

57. “Bad” cholesterol letters LDL
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is one of the compounds responsible for transporting fats around the body. When LDL is combined with cholesterol it can be referred to as “bad cholesterol”. This is because LDL actually transports cholesterol into the inner walls of blood vessels leading to atherosclerosis.

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is a compound that is used to transport fats around the body. When HDL is combined with (i.e. is transporting) cholesterol, it is often called “good cholesterol”. This is because HDL seems to remove cholesterol from where it should not be, say on the walls of arteries, and transports it to the liver for reuse or disposal. Important stuff …

59. “A Visit From the Goon Squad” Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer EGAN
Jennifer Egan is an author who grew up in San Francisco. Egan’s 2010 novel “A Visit from the Goon Squad” won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Actually, “A Visit from the Goon Squad” is structured in such a way that it is sometimes described as a collection of linked short stories.

60. March Madness org. NCAA
March Madness is the name given to (among others) the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship, held in spring each year.

62. Pig __ LATIN
Pig Latin is in effect a game. One takes the first consonant of an English word and moves it to the end of the word, and then adds the letters “ay”. So the Pig Latin for the word “nix” is “ix-n-ay” … ixnay, and for “scram” is “am-scr-ay”

Down
3. Pertaining to the gospel EVANGELIC
The term “evangelic” means “rooted in the gospels”, from the Ancient Greek “eu” (good) and “angelia” (message).

7. Newswoman Roberts COKIE
Cokie Roberts is a great journalist and author, best known for her work with National Public Radio.

8. River through Nottingham TRENT
The River Trent in England is one of the few rivers that flows north for much of its route. The Trent rises in Staffordshire and empties into the River Ouse in Yorkshire.

Nottingham is a city in the East Midlands of England. To outsiders, perhaps Nottingham is most famous for its links to the legend of Robin Hood.

10. Doctors’ org. AMA
American Medical Association (AMA)

12. Layer with “holes” in it OZONE
Ozone gets its name from the Greek word ozein, meaning “to smell”. It was given this name as ozone’s formation during lightning storms was detected by the gas’s distinctive smell. Famously, there is a relatively high concentration of the gas in the “ozone layer” in the Earth’s stratosphere. This ozone layer provides a vital function for animal life on the planet as it absorbs most of the sun’s UV radiation.

18. Big Broadway hit, slangily BOFF
A boffola is “a dazzling, often sudden instance of success”, it says here. It’s an alternative for the noun “boff” which can have the same meaning.

24. Teamsters president James HOFFA
Jimmy Hoffa headed off to meet with two Mafia leaders at a restaurant in a suburb of Detroit on July 30, 1975. The two men he was supposed to meet denied any appointment was made, and they were seen in public in other locations far from the restaurant. Hoffa was spotted by passers by in the restaurant parking lot, the last time he was ever seen. His wife reported him missing later that night, and the resulting police investigation failed to find Hoffa or his body. Hoffa was declared legally dead in 1982, seven years after he disappeared.

27. WWII torpedo craft E-BOAT
In WWII, the German Navy’s Motor Torpedo Boats were similar to American PT boats and were called S-boots, short for Schnellboot (“fast craft”). The Allied forces referred to them as E-boats, with the “E” possibly standing for “enemy” or “Eilboot” (“hurry boat”).

33. Greek marketplace AGORA
In early Greece the “agora” was a place of assembly. Often the assemblies held there were quite formal, perhaps for the reading of a proclamation. Later in Greek history, things became less formal as the agora evolved into a market place. Our contemporary word “agoraphobia” comes from these agorae, in the sense that an agoraphobe has a fear of open spaces, a fear of “public meeting places”.

35. Pontiac muscle car relaunched briefly in 2004 GTO
The acronym GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, which is an Italian phrase that translates as “Grand Touring Homologated”. Italian car manufacturers started the tradition of calling their luxury performance cars “Gran Turismo”, and calling those cars they approved for racing “Gran Turismo Omologato”. The phrase “gran turismo omologato” translates as “grand touring homologated”, with “homologated” being a technical term signifying official approval.

36. Valuable violin STRAD
Generations of the Stradivari family produced violins, the most famous of which were constructed by Antonio Stradivari.

39. Fed the kitty ANTED
The “pot” in a card game has been referred to as the kitty since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it came from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.

40. Filch STEAL
“Filch” is a slang term for “steal”. One suggestion is that the term derives from the German “filzen” meaning “comb through”.

43. International accords ENTENTES
An “entente cordiale” (sometimes just “entente”) is a friendly understanding, usually between two nations. The term, which translates from French as “cordial agreement”, was first used to describe a set of agreements between the UK and France in 1904.

50. Riot control weapon MACE
Mace is actually a brand name, originally introduced by Lake Erie Chemical when they started to manufacture “Chemical Mace”, with the name being a play on the club-like weapon from days of old. Mace was originally a form of tear gas, but Mace today uses a formula that is actually a pepper spray.

53. Alpaca kin LLAMA
The wool from a llama is much softer than that from a sheep, and it is also free from lanolin.

Alpacas are like small llamas, but unlike llamas were never beasts of burden. Alpacas were bred specifically for the fleece. As such, there are no known wild alpacas these days, even in their native Peru.

54. Director Preminger and others OTTOS
Otto Preminger was noted for his films that pushed the envelope in terms of subject matter, at least in the fifties and sixties. Great examples would be 1955’s “The Man with the Golden Arm” that dealt with drug addiction, 1959’s “Anatomy of a Murder” that dealt with rape, and 1962’s “Advise and Consent” that dealt with homosexuality. If you’ve seen these films, you’ll have noticed that the references are somewhat indirect and disguised, in order to get past the censors.

55. U.S.-Mexico-Canada commerce pact NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is between Canada, Mexico and the United States. When NAFTA came into force in 1994 it set up the largest free trade zone in the world.

61. Hullabaloos ADOS
Our word “hullabaloo” meaning a “commotion” is a derivative of an older term “hollo-ballo”. “Hollo-ballo” was a word used for an uproar in the north of England and Scotland.

63. Eisenhower nickname IKE
President Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas and given the name David Dwight Eisenhower, but by the time he made it to the White House he was going by the name Dwight D. Eisenhower. Growing up, his family called him Dwight, and when “Ike” enrolled in West Point he himself reversed the order of his given names.

65. Guitar cousin UKE
The ukulele (“uke”) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

66. Brother of Peyton Manning ELI
Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning is quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback.

67. President pro __ TEM
“Pro tempore” can be abbreviated to “pro tem” or “p.t.” “Pro tempore” is a Latin phrase that best translates as “for the time being”. It is used to describe a person who is acting for another, usually a superior.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Pi r squared, for a circle AREA
5. Encyclopedia tidbit FACT
9. Big-time MAJOR
14. Speeds (up) REVS
15. __ about: roughly ON OR
16. Render speechless AMAZE
17. Penniless FLAT BROKE
19. Powerful person NABOB
20. Cozy corner NOOK
21. Monogram part: Abbr. INIT
23. Singer DiFranco ANI
24. Crone HAG
26. Like champion sprinters FLEET-FOOTED
29. Capri suffix -OTE
30. Little lie FIB
31. Church-founded Dallas sch. SMU
32. FDR’s dog FALA
34. Confused mental states FOGS
37. Mythological sky holder ATLAS
41. Worker in the sky FLIGHT ATTENDANT
44. Foil maker ALCOA
45. Struggling to decide TORN
46. Bone: Pref. OSTE-
47. Queue after Q RST
49. 20s dispenser, for short ATM
51. Darjeeling, for one TEA
52. Suggest something tentatively FLOAT AN IDEA
57. “Bad” cholesterol letters LDL
58. Key next to the space bar ALT
59. “A Visit From the Goon Squad” Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer EGAN
60. March Madness org. NCAA
62. Pig __ LATIN
64. Piece for two winds FLUTE DUET
68. Pillar from a fire SMOKE
69. Film director’s unit TAKE
70. Look at rudely OGLE
71. Slipped gently (into) EASED
72. Renders speechless AWES
73. Wobbly table stabilizer SHIM

Down
1. “Bowwow!” ARF!
2. Belief sys. REL
3. Pertaining to the gospel EVANGELIC
4. Concerning AS TO
5. Warehouse vehicle FORKLIFT
6. “It’s __-win situation” A NO
7. Newswoman Roberts COKIE
8. River through Nottingham TRENT
9. Direct, as a father-son conversation MAN-TO-MAN
10. Doctors’ org. AMA
11. Try to punch JAB AT
12. Layer with “holes” in it OZONE
13. Opener’s second call, in bridge REBID
18. Big Broadway hit, slangily BOFF
22. Stipulations IFS
24. Teamsters president James HOFFA
25. For any reason AT ALL
27. WWII torpedo craft E-BOAT
28. One-up OUTDO
33. Greek marketplace AGORA
35. Pontiac muscle car relaunched briefly in 2004 GTO
36. Valuable violin STRAD
38. Comeback victor’s vindication LAST LAUGH
39. Fed the kitty ANTED
40. Filch STEAL
42. Hurried HASTENED
43. International accords ENTENTES
48. Schoolyard game TAG
50. Riot control weapon MACE
52. Like lies FALSE
53. Alpaca kin LLAMA
54. Director Preminger and others OTTOS
55. U.S.-Mexico-Canada commerce pact NAFTA
56. Bride’s new relative, say IN-LAW
61. Hullabaloos ADOS
63. Eisenhower nickname IKE
65. Guitar cousin UKE
66. Brother of Peyton Manning ELI
67. President pro __ TEM

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