LA Times Crossword 23 Feb 19, Saturday

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Constructed by: Jim Quinlan
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 9m 33s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. Global Chic designer : IMAN

Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid is a supermodel from Somalia who goes simply by the name “Iman” these days. “Iman” is an Arabic word for “faith”. Iman is smart cookie. Imam has a degree in Political Science and is fluent in five languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, French and English. Iman was married to English rock star David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016.

17. Schindler with a list : OSKAR

Oskar Schindler is the protagonist in the Steven Spielberg movie “Schindler’s List”. Schindler was a real person who survived WWII. During the Holocaust, Schindler managed to save almost 1,200 Jews from perishing by employing them in his factories. After the war, Schindler and his wife were left penniless having used his assets to protect and feed his workers. For years the couple survived on the charity of Jewish groups. Schindler tried to make a go of it in business again but never had any real success. He died a pauper in 1974 in Hildesheim, not far from Hanover. His last wish was to be buried in Jerusalem. Schindler was the only former member of the Nazi Party to be buried on Mount Zion.

19. Academic acronym : STEM

The acronym STEM stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. An alternative acronym with a similar meaning is MINT, standing for mathematics, information sciences, natural sciences and technology.

24. Absorption processes : OSMOSES

Osmosis is the movement of a solvent (often just water) across a semipermeable membrane. In the process of osmosis, the solvent tends to flow from an area of less concentration to an area of higher concentration. This sense of absorbing water effortlessly gives rise to the expression “learning by osmosis”.

26. “A Farewell to Arms” setting: Abbr. : WWI

“A Farewell to Arms” is a somewhat autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway, telling the story of an American ambulance driver serving with the Italian army during WWI. The most famous screen adaptation is probably the 1957 version starring Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones.

29. Algerian seaport : ORAN

Oran lies on the Algerian coast, and is famous for being the port where the French Navy was largely destroyed by the British during WWII in order to avoid the French vessels falling into the hands of Nazi Germany after France surrendered. This decisive and unexpected unilateral action by the British sent a very strong message around the world that Britain was willing to fight alone against the axis powers if necessary.

31. __ Pig: British preschool TV show : PEPPA

“Peppa Pig” is a children’s animated show that is produced in the UK, but airs all over the world. There’s even a Peppa Pig World theme park located in Hampshire, England.

33. Strauss creation : LEVIS

Levi Strauss was the founder of the first company in the world to manufacture blue jeans. Levi Strauss & Co. opened in 1853 in San Francisco. Strauss and his business partner were awarded a patent in 1873 for the use of copper rivets to strengthen points of strain on working pants.

35. Mexican president after Calderón : NIETO

Enrique Peña Nieto became President of Mexico in 2012. President Nieto quickly struggled with a plummeting approval rating that was initially due to a sluggish economy and a weakened Mexican Peso.

Felipe Calderón served as President of Mexico from 2006 until 2012, taking over from President Vicente Fox. One of Calderón’s most visible initiatives was intensification of the Mexican Drug War. The official death toll due to the drug war during his term in office was at least 60,000.

40. Kipling’s “Lone Wolf” : AKELA

Akela is the wolf in the “Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling. He gave his name to a cubmaster in the scouting movement, who is now known as “Akela”.

Rudyard Kipling was a British poet and writer famous for his tales of the British Raj, the rule of the British Empire in India. Kipling was actually born in Bombay, but returned with his family to England when he was very young. After being educated in England, he returned to India and from there traveled the world. Kipling’s most famous works are the stories “The Jungle Book”, “Just So Stories”, “The Man Who Would Be King”, and the poems “Mandalay”, “Gunga Din” and “If-”.

41. Feudal servants : SERFS

A serf was a member of the lowest feudal class, someone attached to land owned by a lord. “Serf” comes from the Latin “servus”, meaning “slave”.

42. Daffy depiction? : CEL

Daffy Duck first appeared on the screen in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” in 1937. In the original cartoon, Daffy was just meant to have a small role, but he was a big hit as he had so much sass. Even back then, Daffy was voiced by the ubiquitous Mel Blanc.

46. Anti-discrimination initials : EEO

“Equal Employment Opportunity” (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

47. Mexico’s largest lake : CHAPALA

Lake Chapala is located about 45 km southeast of Guadalajara. It is a very shallow lake, especially given its surface area. The mean depth is 4.5 meters, and it is only 10.5 meters at the deepest point. Maintaining water quality in such a shallow lake, so close to the large and growing city of Guadalajara, is proving to be a real challenge.

63. Counting-out rhyme opening : ONE POTATO …

One Potato is a counting out game designed to select a person who is “it” in a kid’s game. The selection depends on the rhyme:

One potato, two potato,
Three potato, four,
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more,
One big bad spud.

64. Flexible, in a way : AC/DC

Anyone with a laptop with an external power supply has an AC/DC converter, that big “block” in the power cord. It converts the AC current from a wall socket into the DC current that is used by the laptop.

Down

1. Dollar competitor : AVIS

Rental car company Avis used the tagline “We Try Harder” for five decades, starting in the early 1960s. The slogan had its roots in a 1962 ad campaign in which the company made brilliant use of its position behind market leader Hertz. The first rendition of the new tagline was “When you’re only No. 2, you try harder. Or else”. Within a year, Avis turned its first profit in over a decade, and within three years, increased the company’s market share from 29% to 36%. Avis eventually moved on to the slogan “It’s Your Space” in 2012.

Dollar Rent A Car was founded in 1965. Chrysler acquired the company in 1990 and merged it with Thrifty Car Rental, which Chrysler had purchased a year earlier.

3. What needs to be passed on the way to the bar, briefly? : LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

4. Foretell : AUGUR

The verb “to augur” means “to bode”, to serve as an omen. The term comes from the name of religious officials in Ancient Rome called augurs whose job it was to interpret signs and omens.

5. Musical “Late Late” segment : CARPOOL KARAOKE

Carpool Karaoke is a regular segment on “The Late Late Show with James Corden”. In the bit, Corden drives a car with a celebrity musical (usually) guest while singing along to some of the musician’s famous songs. The list of carpoolers is impressive and extensive, and includes the likes of Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and Elton John. The most popular noon-musician carpooler was then-current First Lady Michelle Obama.

8. Explorers, e.g. : SUVS

The Ford Explorer SUV was introduced in 1990, and is still going strong. The same car has been sold as the Mercury Mountaineer and the Lincoln Aviator.

10. Gp. concerned with cheaters : IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

12. Rhododendron family bloomer : AZALEA TREE

Azaleas are very toxic to horses, sheep and goats, but strangely enough cause no problem for cats or dogs. And if you go to Korea you might come across “Tug Yonju”, which is azalea wine made from the plant’s blossoms. Azaleas are usually grown as shrubs, but are also seen as small trees, and often indoors.

Rhododendron is a genus of woody plants, usually with showy flowers. The rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal, where the bloom is also considered edible.

15. Popular place for lurking trolls : COMMENT SECTION

In Internet terms, a troll is someone who attempts to disrupt online group activities. The fishing term “troll” is used to describe such a person, as he or she throws out off-topic remarks in an attempt to “lure” others into some emotional response. Sad, sad people …

20. Psychic’s claim : ESP

Extrasensory perception (ESP)

23. Former TV talk show host Smiley : TAVIS

Tavis Smiley was the host of his own talk show “Tavis Smiley” on PBS (the Public Broadcasting Service) and “The Tavis Smiley Show” on PRI (Public Radio International). PBS suspended Smiley indefinitely in 2017 in the wake of accusations of sexual misconduct with subordinates.

25. Taylor tot : OPIE

Opie Taylor is the character played by Ron Howard on “The Andy Griffith Show”. Opie lives with widowed father Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) and his great-aunt Beatrice “Aunt Bee” Taylor (played by Frances Bavier). Ron Howard first played the role in 1960 in the pilot show, when he was just 5 years old. Howard sure has come a long way since playing Opie Taylor. He has directed some fabulous movies including favorites of mine like “Apollo 13”, “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code”.

26. Sun and Sky org. : WNBA

The WNBA’s Connecticut Sun joined the league as an expansion team in 1999 as the Orlando Miracle. The Miracle moved to Uncasville, Connecticut in 2003, changing their name to the Sun. For several years, the Sun were the only WNBA franchise that didn’t share the local market with an NBA team. That distinction ended when the NBA’s Supersonics relocated, leaving the WNBA’s Storm as the only professional team based in Seattle.

The Chicago Sky are a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois that plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Sky were founded in 2006

27. Unlikely “TGIF” exclaimer : WORKAHOLIC

“Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF) is a relatively new expression that apparently originated in Akron, Ohio. It was a catchphrase used first by disk jockey Jerry Healy of WAKR in the early seventies. That said, one blog reader wrote me to say that he had been using the phrase in the fifties.

30. Pilot’s digit : NINER

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the number 9 is pronounced “niner”.

34. Narrow furrow : STRIA

A stria is a linear mark or groove on a surface, often one of a series of parallel lines.

36. 2017 Tony winner about the ’90s Israel-PLO accords : OSLO

“Oslo” is a 2016 play by J. T. Rogers that dramatizes the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to the Oslo I Accord between Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization. Rogers came to write the play when he became acquainted with Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, who played a pivotal role in the negotiations.

38. Somewhat off : ALOP

I had to go to one of my two huge volumes of the OED to find the definition of “alop”. It means “lopsided”. A lovely word …

39. Cloverleaf segments : OFF-RAMPS

Cloverleaf interchanges allow two highways to cross without the need for stopping traffic. They are so called as when viewed overheard they look like the leaves of a four-leaf clover.

44. Mammal with a rack : ELK

A rack is a pair of antlers.

47. G.I. Joe nemesis : COBRA

In the G.I. Joe universe, the “bad guys” are known as Cobra, or Cobra Command. The list of members in Combra include Cobra Commander, Serpentor, Destro, Baroness and Doctor Mindbender.

48. Writer of anthropomorphic tales : AESOP

Aesop is remembered today as a fabulist, a writer of fables. Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, probably around the sixth century BC. Supposedly he was born a slave, somehow became a free man, but then met with a sorry end. Aesop was sent to the city of Delphi on a diplomatic mission but instead insulted the Delphians. He was tried on a trumped-up charge of stealing from a temple, sentenced to death and was thrown off a cliff.

53. Perfumery that created Tabu : DANA

Tabu is a whole line of cosmetics and perfumes produced by the House of Dana. The company’s brand names were purchased by a Florida company called Dana Classic Fragrances in 1999.

56. French bean? : TETE

“Tête” is the French word for “head”, and “le nez” is French for “the nose”.

57. Winged god : EROS

Eros, the Greek god of love, gives rise to our word “erotic”, meaning “arousing sexual desire”. Eros was referred to in Latin as both Amor (meaning “love”) and Cupid (meaning “desire”).

59. Situation Room gp. : NSC

The National Security Council (NSC) was created by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. The NSC is chaired by the sitting president and meets in the White House Situation Room.

The official name of the Situation Room in the White House is the John F. Kennedy Conference Room. The facility was built in the basement of the West Wing on the orders of President Kennedy in 1961 after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Analysis showed that the invasion failed largely due to a lack of real-time information, and so the Situation Room was built to prevent that happening in the future.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Like some VIP treatment : ALL-ACCESS
10. Global Chic designer : IMAN
14. Dog trainer’s hand signal, say : VISUAL CUE
15. It’ll blow over soon : CRAZE
16. Running smoothly : IN A GROOVE
17. Schindler with a list : OSKAR
18. Stings : SETUPS
19. Academic acronym : STEM
21. The past, in the past : ELD
22. Beat but good : ROUT
24. Absorption processes : OSMOSES
26. “A Farewell to Arms” setting: Abbr. : WWI
29. Algerian seaport : ORAN
31. __ Pig: British preschool TV show : PEPPA
32. Start to stop? : NON-
33. Strauss creation : LEVIS
35. Mexican president after Calderón : NIETO
37. Gets all mushy : BREAKS INTO TEARS
40. Kipling’s “Lone Wolf” : AKELA
41. Feudal servants : SERFS
42. Daffy depiction? : CEL
43. Can’t get enough of : ADORE
45. Abounding : RIFE
46. Anti-discrimination initials : EEO
47. Mexico’s largest lake : CHAPALA
49. Cunning : ARCH
51. “Wow!” : OOH!
52. Passed on : OK’ED
54. Very little : A TASTE
58. Shut out, in a game : BLANK
60. “Pardon, sir … ” : SAY, MISTER ….
62. Salon option : RINSE
63. Counting-out rhyme opening : ONE POTATO …
64. Flexible, in a way : AC/DC
65. Secretly communicate in class, pre-texting : PASS NOTES

Down

1. Dollar competitor : AVIS
2. Feature of a busy amusement park : LINE
3. What needs to be passed on the way to the bar, briefly? : LSAT
4. Foretell : AUGUR
5. Musical “Late Late” segment : CARPOOL KARAOKE
6. Snowstorm news : CLOSURES
7. Prefix with tourism : ECO-
8. Explorers, e.g. : SUVS
9. Manage : SEE TO
10. Gp. concerned with cheaters : IRS
11. Stops the fight : MAKES PEACE
12. Rhododendron family bloomer : AZALEA TREE
13. __ out: gets excited in a geeky way, in slang : NERDS
15. Popular place for lurking trolls : COMMENT SECTION
20. Psychic’s claim : ESP
23. Former TV talk show host Smiley : TAVIS
25. Taylor tot : OPIE
26. Sun and Sky org. : WNBA
27. Unlikely “TGIF” exclaimer : WORKAHOLIC
28. “Little help?” : I NEED A HAND
30. Pilot’s digit : NINER
34. Narrow furrow : STRIA
36. 2017 Tony winner about the ’90s Israel-PLO accords : OSLO
38. Somewhat off : ALOP
39. Cloverleaf segments : OFF-RAMPS
44. Mammal with a rack : ELK
47. G.I. Joe nemesis : COBRA
48. Writer of anthropomorphic tales : AESOP
50. Lacks choices : HAS TO
53. Perfumery that created Tabu : DANA
55. Bit of sports trivia : STAT
56. French bean? : TETE
57. Winged god : EROS
59. Situation Room gp. : NSC
61. Assent : YES

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