LA Times Crossword Answers 24 Jul 15, Friday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Spot PIP
A pip is a dot on a die or a domino, or a mark on a playing card.

4. “My Name Is Asher Lev” author POTOK
Chaim Potok was a Jewish American author. Potok’s most famous novel is “The Chosen”, which recounts the life of a Jewish youth in New York City during WWII.

“My Name Is Asher Lev” is a novel by Rabbi Chaim Potok, first published in 1972. The story follows the experiences of Asher Lev, a Hasidic Jewish boy in New York City. His story continues in the sequel “The Gift of Asher Lev”.

9. Normandy beachhead OMAHA
The Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 took place along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The worst fighting by far took place on Omaha Beach, a sector assigned to the US Army that was transported by elements of the US Navy and the Royal Navy.

14. Rollover __ IRA
A rollover IRA is a subtype of a traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA). The funds for a rollover IRA come from another qualified plan such as a 401(k) or a 403(b) account.

16. Jazz section SAXES
The saxophone was invented by Belgian Adolphe Sax. Sax developed lip cancer at one point in his life, and one has to wonder if his affliction was related to his saxophone playing (I am sure not!). I had the privilege of visiting Sax’s grave in the Cemetery of Montmartre in Paris a few years ago.

17. “Hip Hop Is Dead” artist 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 …

18. Composer Dvorák in hiding? CACHED CZECH (sounds like “cashed check”)
Antonín Dvořák was a composer from Czechoslovakia who spent three years working and composing in the United States. He was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York from 1892 to 1895. Certainly here in the US, Dvořák’s best known work is his Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, which is often referred to as “The New World Symphony”.

25. Edible decapods PRAWNS
Decapods are an order of crustaceans that includes crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimps. All decapods have ten legs, hence the name, although six of those “legs” function as mouthparts.

29. Provide new audio for REDUB
If voices needed to be altered on the soundtrack of a film, that means double the work as there needs to be a re-recording. “Dub” is short for “double”, and is a term we’ve been using since the late 1920s.

30. More than square CUBE
In the world of math, squaring a number is multiplying it by itself (e.g. 5 x 5). Cubing a number is multiplying a number by itself twice (i.e. 5 x 5 x 5).

35. Mythical elephant carriers ROCS
The mythical roc is a huge bird of prey, reputedly able to carry off and eat elephants. The roc was said to come from the Indian subcontinent. The supposed existence of the roc was promulgated by Marco Polo in the accounts that he published of his travels through Asia.

37. “Aladdin” monkey ABU
Abu is a monkey in the Disney production of “Aladdin”. The character is based on Abu, a thief in the 1940 film “The Thief of Baghdad”.

41. Your Moment of __: Jon Stewart’s show ender ZEN
“Your Moment of Zen” is a segment on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” that is aired at the end of the broadcast. The segment consists of a short video featuring something that makes you scratch your head, wondering “did this really happen, did he/she really say that?”

42. Spike LACE
To lace a drink, is to spike it, by adding perhaps some alcohol or other strong substance.

43. Fuzzy Endor native EWOK
The Ewoks are creatures who live on the moon of Endor, first appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. They’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

44. They’re often smashed SOTS
Our word “sot” comes from the Old English “sott”, meaning “fool”. The word “sot” started to be associated with alcohol and not just foolery in the late 1500s.

46. Ellington’s “__ Indigo” MOOD
“Mood Indigo” is a 1930 jazz piece co-written by Duke Ellington as in instrumental specifically for a radio broadcast. Originally called “Dreamy Blues”, the radio audience responded so well that lyrics were added and it was renamed to “Mood Indigo”.

51. Umbria tourist town ASSISI
The Italian town of Assisi is in Umbria. Assisi is famous as the birthplace of St. Francis and as the home to the Franciscan religious order. It was also the home to Saint Clare and her order of the Poor Sisters (later known as the Poor Clares).

53. One who keeps it in the family NEPOTIST
Nepotism is the practice of giving relatives preferential treatment. The term originated during the Middle Ages with favoritism shown by Roman Catholic bishops and popes. The ministers of the church had taken vows of chastity, and some gave prefered positions to their nephews, as they didn’t have sons of their own to favor. The term “nepotism” derives from the Latin “nepos” meaning “nephew”.

55. Sports gp. with three divisions NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association organizes athletic program across North America. Membership schools have been divided into three divisions since 1973. Schools in Divisions I & II can offer scholarships to athletes for playing sports, while Division III schools cannot.

57. “The Kids Are __”: 1979 The Who documentary ALRIGHT
“The Kids Are Alright” is a 1979 documentary film about the rock band the Who. The film’s title is a song written by band member Pete Townshend and released by the Who in 1965.

58. Wildebeests slowing down? BRAKING GNUS (sounds like “breaking news”)
A gnu is also known as a wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is actually the Dutch word for “wild beast”.

62. One of Kramden’s hardy followers? HAR
Har-har-hardy-har-har.

Ralph Kramden was the character played by Jackie Gleason on “The Honeymooners”. The classic sitcom only aired for 39 episodes, with the last being broadcast in September of 1956. However, the sitcom itself was based on a recurring sketch that appeared on “Cavalcade of Stars” and then “The Jackie Gleason Show” from 1951-1955.

63. Staff symbol C-CLEF
Clef is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on the stave. Usually, a G-clef is used for high parts, a C-clef for middle parts and an F-clef for low parts.

65. Ode opener? TRI-
A triode is like a diode, in that it had a cathode from which electrons flow to an anode. However, there is a third terminal called a grid, between the cathode and anode. By applying a potential to the grid, the flow of electrons can be regulated.

66. Resort off the Sorrentine Peninsula 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. Natives of Capri are known as Capriotes.

Sorrento is a small town on the Italian coast that sits on a peninsula overlooking the Bay of Naples. It is an extremely popular tourist destination. The island of Capri lies off the western tip of the Sorrento Peninsula.

Down
1. “The test of any man lies in action” odist PINDAR
Pindar was an Ancient Greek poet, best known perhaps for composing a series of Victory Odes that celebrated triumph in competition, most notably the Olympian Games of the day.

4. Lover of Slue-Foot Sue PECOS BILL
Pecos Bill has become a character in tall tales of the Old West after having been introduced in 1917 by author Edward O’Reilly. Legend has it that Bill was travelling in a covered wagon from Texas with his family when he fell out unnoticed by the party. He was lost near the Pecos River, hence his name. He was found and raised by a pack of coyotes, but years later was recovered by his real brother. Pecos Bill grew up to be a cowboy and married a woman called Slue-Foot Sue who he met riding a giant catfish down the Rio Grande.

5. Subject for Italian anatomist Fallopius OVARY
Gabriele Falloppio (sometimes “Fallopius”) was a physician and expert in anatomy in sixteenth-century Italy. Much of Falloppio’s work focused on the anatomy of the head, but his studies of the reproductive organs of both sexes led to his name being used for the Fallopian tube, which leads from the ovary to the uterus.

6. Certs alternative TIC TAC
Tic Tacs aren’t American candy (as I always mistakenly believed). Tic Tacs are made by the Italian company Ferrero, and were introduced in 1969.

Certs were the first breath mints to be marketed nationally in the US, hitting the shelves in 1956. A Cert is called a mint, but it isn’t really as it contains no mint oil and instead has its famous ingredient named “Retsyn”. Retsyn is a mixture of copper gluconate (giving the green flecks), partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil (not healthy!) and flavoring (maybe mint?).

8. “Hooked on Classics” co. K-TEL
K-Tel was founded in 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by one Philip Kives. K-Tel’s recipe for success was the sale of inexpensive goods with a simple sales pitch and mail-order distribution.

I know that a lot of people detested the “Hooked on Classics” albums, but to be honest, I found them to be a lot of fun. But then again, I liked disco! The original “Hooked on Classics” album was recorded in 1981 by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from London. The music was a selection of recognizable extracts from the world of classical music played over a continuous disco beat.

9. Grouch in a can OSCAR
Oscar the Grouch is the Muppet that lives in a garbage can. Oscar’s persona comes from various sources. He is named after Oscar Brand who was one of the board members of the Children’s Television Workshop, the backers for “Sesame Street” as the Muppets were being developed in the sixties. Oscar’s personality was inspired by an angry waiter that once served Jim Henson (father of the Muppets). And the voice was modeled on a grumpy New York cab driver encountered one day by Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who brings Oscar to life.

10. Protegés, e.g. MAZDAS
The Protegé was a brand name of a whole family of compact cars made by Mazda between 1964 and 2003, with the whole group of cars going under the name of Familia. At one point, the guts of the Familia/Protegé was rebranded as the Ford Escort here in North America.

12. Crime-solver Ramsey of 1970s TV HEC
“Hec Ramsey” is a TV western starring Richard Boone that aired in the early seventies. The series was unusual in that it was set late in the days of the Old West, and the title character focused less on using a gun, and more on using forensic techniques to catch the bad guys.

13. Krakatoa output ASH
Krakatoa is an island located between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. Famously, the volcano on the island erupted in 1883 causing the death of over 36,000 people, who mainly died in the resulting tsunamis. It is thought that the sound of the explosive eruption was the loudest in modern history.

19. “Exciter” band __ Mode DEPECHE
Depeche Mode is an electronic music band from England that formed in 1980. Apparently, Depeche Mode are the most successful electronic music band ever. The band’s name is the title of a French fashion magazine “Dépêche mode”, which translates as “Fashion Update”.

21. Alpha __, star in the Bull constellation TAURI
Aldebaran is a star that also goes by the name Alpha Tauri, as it is the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus. The name “Aldebaran” translates from Arabic as “the follower”. Aldebaran forms the eye of Taurus the bull, and appears to “follow” the Hyades star cluster that forms the head, hence the name.

26. Poor jousters? WEAK KNIGHTS (sounds like “weeknights”)
Tilting is the most recognized form of jousting. Jousting can involve the use of a number of different weapons, but when lances are used the competition is called “tilting”. Jousting took place in a roped-off enclosure that was called the lists, or list field. In later medieval times, some castles and palaces had purpose-built “tiltyards” that were used for jousting. London’s famous Horse Guards Parade is the former tiltyard for the Palace of Whitehall that was used in the time of King Henry VIII.

28. Former Beatle Sutcliffe STU
Stu Sutcliffe was one of the original four members of The Silver Beatles (as The Beatles were known in their early days), along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Sutcliffe apparently came up with name “Beatles” along with John Lennon, as a homage to their hero Buddy Holly who was backed by the “Crickets”. By all reports, Sutcliffe wasn’t a very talented musician and was more interested in painting. He went with the group to Hamburg, more than once, but he eventually left the Beatles and went back to art school, actually studying for a while at the Hamburg College of Art. In 1962 in Hamburg, Sutcliffe collapsed with blinding headaches. He died in the ambulance on the way to hospital, his death attributed to cerebral paralysis.

34. Dolphin, e.g. MIAMIAN
The Miami Dolphins football team was founded in 1966 by politician Joe Robbie and the comedian Danny Thomas.

36. Cutting supports SAWHORSES
Sawhorses are used to support boards for sawing. Sawhorses are also used as barricades.

39. Sgt. maj., e.g. NCO
An NCO is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces. Usually such an officer is one who has earned his or her rank by promotion through the enlisted ranks. A good example would be a sergeant.

40. Tropical raccoon kin COATI
A coati is a member of the raccoon family and is also known as the Brazilian aardvark, or the snookum bear. The coati is native to Central and South America, but can also be found in the southwest of the United States.

41. Half a Gabor? ZSA
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian American actress, born in Budapest as Sári Gábor (the older sister of the actress Eva). Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married a whopping nine times, including a 5-year stint with Conrad Hilton and another 5 years with the actor George Sanders. One of Gabor’s famous quips was that she was always a good housekeeper, as after every divorce she kept the house!

47. Counselor in Jean-Luc’s command DEANNA
Deanna Troi is a character on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” who is played by the lovely Marina Sirtis. Sirtis is a naturalized American citizen and has what I would call a soft American accent on the show. However, she was born in the East End of London and has a natural accent off-stage that is more like that of a true Cockney.

When Gene Roddenberry was creating the “Star Trek” spin-off series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, I think he chose a quite magnificent name for the new starship captain. The name “Jean-Luc Picard” is imitative of one or both of the twin-brother Swiss scientists Auguste and Jean Felix Piccard. The role of Picard was of course played by the wonderful Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart.

50. Oxide in incandescent gas mantles YTTRIA
Yttria is the oxide of yttrium, and is more completely known as yttrium oxide. Yttria is used to make the red phosphors that give the red color in picture tubes.

52. Space opera genre SCI-FI
“Space opera” is a type of science fiction with storylines that resemble those in westerns, but set in outer space in the future. The term derives from “horse opera”, which is used to describe formulaic western films.

56. Uttar Pradesh tourist city AGRA
The Indian city of Agra is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

– The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
– Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
– Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal architecture.

The city of Agra is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (which translates into English as “Northern Province”).

58. Discreet email letters BCC
A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

59. Nipper’s label RCA
Nipper is the name of the dog that appeared in the RCA logo. Nipper was a real dog, actually from England. His owner, Francis Barraud, made a painting of Nipper listening to a gramophone. Barraud then approached several gramophone manufacturers in the hope they would be interested in using the image for advertising. Nipper’s likeness was indeed picked up, and around that time it was Barraud himself who came up with the slogan “His Master’s Voice”.

60. High peak ALP
There are eight Alpine countries:

– Austria
– Slovenia
– France
– Switzerland
– Liechtenstein
– Germany
– Monaco
– Italy

61. Moll’s leg GAM
The American slang term “gams” is used for a woman’s legs. The term goes back to the 18th century “gamb” meaning the leg of an animal on a coat of arms.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Spot PIP
4. “My Name Is Asher Lev” author POTOK
9. Normandy beachhead OMAHA
14. Rollover __ IRA
15. Send packing EVICT
16. Jazz section SAXES
17. “Hip Hop Is Dead” artist NAS
18. Composer Dvorák in hiding? CACHED CZECH
20. Misrepresent DISTORT
22. Main part LEAD
23. No harder than AS EASY AS
25. Edible decapods PRAWNS
29. Provide new audio for REDUB
30. More than square CUBE
32. Council position SEAT
33. Adjust, as sails TRIM
35. Mythical elephant carriers ROCS
37. “Aladdin” monkey ABU
38. Demands for quiet from the downstairs tenant? CEILING WHACKS
41. Your Moment of __: Jon Stewart’s show ender ZEN
42. Spike LACE
43. Fuzzy Endor native EWOK
44. They’re often smashed SOTS
46. Ellington’s “__ Indigo” MOOD
48. Nearby HANDY
51. Umbria tourist town ASSISI
53. One who keeps it in the family NEPOTIST
55. Sports gp. with three divisions NCAA
57. “The Kids Are __”: 1979 The Who documentary ALRIGHT
58. Wildebeests slowing down? BRAKING GNUS
62. One of Kramden’s hardy followers? HAR
63. Staff symbol C-CLEF
64. Singer’s asset RANGE
65. Ode opener? TRI-
66. Resort off the Sorrentine Peninsula CAPRI
67. Gather together AMASS
68. Post-workout destination SPA

Down
1. “The test of any man lies in action” odist PINDAR
2. Game challenge I RAISE
3. Walked by a campsite? PASSED TENTS (sounds like “past tense”)
4. Lover of Slue-Foot Sue PECOS BILL
5. Subject for Italian anatomist Fallopius OVARY
6. Certs alternative TIC TAC
7. “Alas!” from a lass OCH!
8. “Hooked on Classics” co. K-TEL
9. Grouch in a can OSCAR
10. Protegés, e.g. MAZDAS
11. Fire AXE
12. Crime-solver Ramsey of 1970s TV HEC
13. Krakatoa output ASH
19. “Exciter” band __ Mode DEPECHE
21. Alpha __, star in the Bull constellation TAURI
24. Cutting-edge professional? SURGEON
26. Poor jousters? WEAK KNIGHTS (sounds like “weeknights”)
27. Snares NABS
28. Former Beatle Sutcliffe STU
31. Defer BOW
34. Dolphin, e.g. MIAMIAN
36. Cutting supports SAWHORSES
38. Co. VIPs CEOS
39. Sgt. maj., e.g. NCO
40. Tropical raccoon kin COATI
41. Half a Gabor? ZSA
45. Angling aid SINKER
47. Counselor in Jean-Luc’s command DEANNA
49. Note in the key of B major D-SHARP
50. Oxide in incandescent gas mantles YTTRIA
52. Space opera genre SCI-FI
54. Promotions PLUGS
56. Uttar Pradesh tourist city AGRA
58. Discreet email letters BCC
59. Nipper’s label RCA
60. High peak ALP
61. Moll’s leg GAM

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