LA Times Crossword Answers 23 May 13, Thursday

CROSSWORD SETTER: David Poole
THEME: Mistresses First … each of today’s themed answers starts with a famous MRS:

20A. Showy bit of plumage PEACOCK FEATHER (from “Mrs. Peacock”)
25A. Mae West’s request to Beulah in “I’m No Angel” PEEL ME A GRAPE (from “Mrs. Peel”)
37A. N, in Morse code DASH DOT (from “Mrs. Dash”)
46A. Quadrennial mathematics awards FIELDS MEDALS (from “Mrs. Fields”)
55A. His work was done by Friday ROBINSON CRUSOE (from “Mrs. Robinson”)
60D. Title for the starts of 20-, 25-, 37-, 46- and 55-Across MRS

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 07m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Spender of rials OMANI
The Rial is name of the currency of Oman (as well as that of Yemen , Iran, Cambodia and Tunisia!).

10. It makes cents ZINC
The official name of our smallest denomination coin is a “cent”, and our use of the word “penny” is just a colloquialism derived from the British coin of the same name. However, in the UK the plural of penny is “pence”, whereas we have “pennies” in our pockets.

14. Hawaiian girl who adopted Stitch LILO
“Lilo & Stitch” was released by Disney in 2002. Compared to other Disney feature-length cartoons, “Lilo & Stitch” was relatively cheaply produced, using the voices of lesser known actors. One interesting change had to take place in the storyline during production, when Lilo was meant to fly a Jumbo Jet through downtown Honolulu in one sequence. This was replaced with a sequence using a spaceship instead, as the producers were sensitive to public sentiment after the September 11 attacks.

17. Bulky bovids OXEN
A bovid is an animal in the family Bovidae. Bovids are ruminants with hoofs and hollow horns, such as cattle, sheep and goats.

18. Oscar-winning composer Korngold ERICH
Erich Korngold was a 20th century composer from Austria who was noted for his compositions for film soundtracks. Korngold won an Oscar in 1938 for his score to “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.

20. Showy bit of plumage PEACOCK FEATHER (from “Mrs. Peacock”)
The female peafowl, the peahen, has very dull plumage compared to the extravagant display on the tail of the peacock.

Mrs. Peacock is a character in the game Clue.

Clue is another board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), a lead pipe (lead piping in the US) and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

23. First name in talk shows ELLEN
Ellen DeGeneres is a very, very successful TV personality, having parlayed her career in stand-up comedy into lucrative gigs as an actress and talk show host. Back in 1997 DeGeneres chose the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to announce that she was a lesbian. Her character on “The Ellen Show” also came out as a lesbian, in a scene with her therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey. Nice twist!

24. Big Ten or Big East org. NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910.

25. Mae West’s request to Beulah in “I’m No Angel” PEEL ME A GRAPE (from “Mrs. Peel”)
“I’m No Angel” is an 1933 film starring Mae West and a very young Cary Grant who just making a name for himself in Hollywood. “I’m No Angel” gives us some iconic Mae West quotations:

– Come up and see me sometime. (Repeated with slight variations.)
– Beulah, peel me a grape.
– It’s not the men in your life that counts, it’s the life in your men.
– When I’m good I’m very good. But when I’m bad I’m better.

“The Avengers” was must-see television when I was growing up. “The Avengers” was a sixties comedy spy series set in England during the days of the Cold War. The hero was John Steed, played ably by Patrick MacNee. Steed had various female partners as the series progressed, the first of which was Cathy Gale, played by Honor Blackman (who also played Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger”). Following Ms. Gale was Emma Peel played by the wonderful Diana Rigg. Finally there was Tara King, played by Linda Thorson.

35. Asian currency name meaning “round” YUAN
The Korean Won, the Chinese Yuan, and the Japanese Yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

36. Plains native OTO
The Otoe (also Oto) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestwards ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

37. N, in Morse code DASH DOT
Samuel Morse was a very accomplished and reputable painter (he was engaged to paint a portrait of President John Adams, for example). In 1825 Morse was in Washington working on a commissioned painting when he received a one-line letter by horse messenger telling him that his wife was ill. He left immediately for his home in New Haven, Connecticut but by the time that Morse arrived his wife had already died and had been buried. This single event spurred him to move from painting to the development of a rapid means of long distance communication, leading to the single-wire telegraph and Morse code.

42. Selene’s Roman counterpart LUNA
“Luna” is the Latin word for “moon”, and is the name given to the Roman moon goddess. The Greek equivalent of Luna was Selene. Luna had a temple on the Aventine Hill in Rome but it was destroyed during the Great Fire that raged during the reign of Nero.

44. Blue moons and hen’s teeth RARITIES
As there is a full moon once every four weeks, approximately monthly, there are usually twelve full moons in any given year. However, every 2-3 years, depending on the phase of the moon at the beginning of the calendar year, there may be a thirteenth full moon. The “extra” full moon is called a “blue moon”, although no one seems to really know why the term “blue” is used, as far as I can tell. Which of the thirteen full moons that is designated as the blue moon varies depending on tradition. My favorite definition is from the Farmer’s Almanac. It states that as each of the seasons normally has three full moons (twelve divided by the four seasons), then the season with four full moons is designated as “special”, then, the THIRD (and not the fourth) full moon in that “special” season is the blue moon. Complicated, huh?

Something might be described as “scarcer than hen’s teeth”, as hens don’t have teeth at all!

46. Quadrennial mathematics awards FIELDS MEDALS (from “Mrs. Fields”)
The Fields Medal is a prize in mathematics that is awarded by the International Mathematical Union every four years. The official name of the award is the International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics. The unofficial name is in honor of Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields who founded the award.

51. Splenda rival EQUAL
Splenda and Equal are brand names for the artificial sweetener sucralose.

55. His work was done by Friday ROBINSON CRUSOE (from “Mrs. Robinson”)
When Daniel Defoe wrote his marvelous 1719 novel called “Robinson Crusoe”, he was likely thinking of real-life Scottish castaway, Alexander Selkirk. Selkirk lived alone on the Pacific Island called “Mas a Tierra” off the coast of Chile, for four years. The island was officially renamed in 1966, and is now called Robinson Crusoe Island.

When Mike Nichols was making the 1967 film “The Graduate” he apparently became obsessed with the music of Simon and Garfunkel, who were just coming into the limelight. Nichols made a deal with Paul Simon to write three songs that he could use on the soundtrack of his new movie. Simon and Garfunkel were touring constantly around that time, so Nichols had to badger Simon to hold up his end of the bargain. When Nichols was ready to lay down the film’s soundtrack there was only one commissioned song available, so Nichols had to basically beg Paul Simon for anything. Simon mentioned that he was finishing up one new song, but it wasn’t written for the film. It was more a celebration of former times, with lyrics about baseball great Joe DiMaggio and former First Lady, Mrs. Roosevelt. Nichols informed Simon that the song was no longer about Mrs. Roosevelt, and instead it was about Mrs. Robinson …

60. Home of H. Matisse’s “The Dance” MOMA
The founding of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City was very much driven by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, the wife of John D. Rockefeller, son of the oil magnate. Working with two friends, Abby managed to get the museum opened in 1929, just nine days after the Wall Street Crash. The MoMA’s sculpture garden bears the name of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and has done so since 1949.

Henri Matisse was a French artist renowned for his contribution to modern art. In his early career, Matisse was classed as a “fauve”, one of the group of artists known as the “wild beasts” who emphasized strong color over realism in their works. He was a lifelong friend of Pablo Picasso, and the two were considered to be good-natured rivals so their works are often compared. One major difference between their individual portfolios is that Picasso tended to paint from his imagination, whereas Matisse tended to use nature as his inspiration.

64. Refrain from singing about a farm? EIEIO
There was an American version of the English children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (E-I-E-I-O), that was around in the days of WWI. The first line of the US version goes “Old MacDougal had a farm, in Ohio-i-o”.

66. Plato’s promenade STOA
A stoa was a covered walkway in Ancient Greece. A stoa usually consisted of columns lining the side of a building or buildings, with another row of columns defining the other side of the walkway. The columns supported a roof. Often stoae would surround marketplaces in large cities.

Plato was a Greek philosopher and mathematician. He was a student of the equally famous and respected Socrates, and Plato in turn was the teacher and mentor of the celebrated Aristotle.

68. David and Goliath’s battlefield ELAH
In the story of David and Goliath, the Israelites and the Philistines faced each other in battle at the Valley of Elah. Goliath was the warrior champion of the Philistines and each day he challenged the Israelites to send out their champion to decide the battle in a one-on-one fight. No one was courageous enough to accept the challenge until young David agreed to face the mighty Goliath. And of course David felled the giant soldier with a stone from his sling.

Down
2. Point of resolution PIXEL
A pixel is a dot, the base element that goes to make up a digital image.

3. Intestine-related ILEAL
The human ileum is the lowest part of the small intestine, found below the jejunum and above the cecum of the large intestine.

5. Vienna-based commercial gp. OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in 1960 at a conference held in Baghdad, Iraq that was attended by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Nine more countries joined the alliance soon after, and OPEC set up headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and then Vienna, Austria in 1965. The basic aim of OPEC was to wrench control of oil prices from the oil companies and to put it in the hands of the sovereign states that own the natural resource.

6. ’70s-’80s TV attic-dweller MORK
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams, of course) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

8. __ Creed NICENE
What is known today in the Christian tradition as the Nicene Creed, was originally adopted by the first ecumenical council when it met in 325 AD. The meeting took place in the city of Nicaea, which gave its name to this particular profession of faith. Nicaea is the Greek name of the city that is now called Iznik, and it lies in the northwest of Turkey.

9. Cornell’s city ITHACA
Ezra Cornell was an associate of Samuel Morse and made his money in the telegraph business. After Ezra retired he co-founded Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He provided a generous endowment and donated his farm as a site for the school, and was then rewarded by having the institute named after him.

10. Millard was his vice president ZACHARY
Vice President Millard Fillmore took over the US Presidency when Zachary Taylor died after only 16 months in office. Fillmore was born in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, but grew up around Buffalo. He was one of the founders of the University of Buffalo and served as chancellor there after he left office in 1853.

11. Man, for one ISLE
The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn’t part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

21. Early Christian year ONE AD
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.

26. Stat for Justin Verlander ERA
Justin Verlander is pitcher with the Detroit Tigers.

27. Bandleader Brown LES
Les Brown and His Band of Renown are a big band that started to perform in the late thirties and are still going strong today. Les Brown led the band from the start, and worked with the likes of Doris Day, Bob Hope and Tony Bennett. Brown passed away in 2001, and the band is now led by his son Les Brown, Jr.

28. 1984 Olympic slalom champion MAHRE
Phil Mahre is one of the great alpine ski racers, a native of Yakima, Washington. Phil’s twin brother Steve was also a skier on the World Cup circuit.

29. “Truth in Engineering” automaker AUDI
The Audi name has an interesting history. The Horch company was founded by August Horch in 1909. Early in the life of the new company, Horch was forced out of his own business. He set up a new enterprise and continued to use his own name as a brand. The old company sued him for using the Horch name so a meeting was held to choose something new. Horch’s young son was studying Latin in the room where the meeting was taking place. He pointed out that “Horch” was German for “hear” and he suggested “Audi” as a replacement, the Latin for “listen”.

32. Massage deeply ROLF
Rolfing is a trademarked massage technique, developed by Ida Pauline Rolf in the fifties.

33. Sewer’s case ETUI
An etui is an ornamental case used to hold small items, in particular sewing needles. We imported both the case design and the word “etui” from France. The French also have a modern usage of “etui”, using the term to depict a case for carrying CDs.

34. Unit of loudness SONE
In the acoustic world, the “sone” was introduced as a unit of perceived loudness in 1936.

38. Martin Sheen, to Emilio Estevez DAD
Emilio Estevez is one of the members of Hollywood’s famous “Brat Pack”, having appeared in “The Breakfast Club” and “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Estevez’s father (and can’t you tell it from looking at him?) is actor Martin Sheen. Estevez decided to keep his father’s real name, and not the stage name of “Sheen”. Charlie Sheen is Emilio’s brother, and Charlie’s real name is Carlos Estevez.

39. __ pro nobis ORA
“Ora pro nobis” translates from Latin as “pray for us”. It is a common term used in the Roman Catholic tradition and is often shortened to “OPN”.

43. Country band named for their home ALABAMA
Alabama is a band from Fort Payne, Alabama who perform a blend of country music and southern rock.

45. Drafting implement T-SQUARE
A T-square is a technical drawing instrument used for drawing horizontal lines. You can also get a drywall T-square, which is used in measuring and cutting drywall.

47. SADD concern DWI
In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) was founded in Massachusetts in 1981. SADD’s aim is to prevent road traffic accidents by urging students to avoid potentially destructive decisions (such as driving under the influence of alcohol).

48. Japanese immigrant’s grandchild SANSEI
There are some very specific terms used to describe the children born to Japanese immigrants in their new country. The immigrants themselves are known as “Issei”. “Nisei” are second generation Japanese, “Sansei” the third generation (grandchildren of the immigrant), and “Yonsei” are fourth generation.

49. Sufi, e.g. MYSTIC
A Sufi is a Muslim mystic.

54. Boxer’s restraint LEASH
The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful animal. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, another gorgeous creature.

56. “Typee” sequel OMOO
Herman Melville mined his own experiences when writing his novels. Melville sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1841 on a whaler heading into the Pacific Ocean (a source for “Moby Dick”). Melville ended up deserting his ship 18 months later and lived with natives on a South Pacific Island for three weeks (a source for “Typee”). He picked up another whaler and headed for Hawaii, where he joined the crew of a US navy frigate that was bound for Boston (a source for “Omoo”).

58. Düsseldorf denial NEIN
Düsseldorf lies in the west of Germany, fairly close to the border with France, and sits on the River Rhine.

59. USN noncoms CPOS
A Chief Petty Officer (CPO) is a non-commissioned officer in the Navy and Coast Guard. The “Petty” is derived from the French word “petit” meaning “small”.

60. Title for the starts of 20-, 25-, 37-, 46- and 55-Across MRS
Mr. is the abbreviation for “master”, and Mrs. is the abbreviation for “mistress”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Bigger than big EPIC
5. Spender of rials OMANI
10. It makes cents ZINC
14. Hawaiian girl who adopted Stitch LILO
15. Assume POSIT
16. Fishing, maybe ASEA
17. Bulky bovids OXEN
18. Oscar-winning composer Korngold ERICH
19. Family CLAN
20. Showy bit of plumage PEACOCK FEATHER (from “Mrs. Peacock”)
23. First name in talk shows ELLEN
24. Big Ten or Big East org. NCAA
25. Mae West’s request to Beulah in “I’m No Angel” PEEL ME A GRAPE (from “Mrs. Peel”)
32. Place for stop-and-go traffic? REST AREA
35. Asian currency name meaning “round” YUAN
36. Plains native OTO
37. N, in Morse code DASH DOT (from “Mrs. Dash”)
41. Box set component DVD
42. Selene’s Roman counterpart LUNA
44. Blue moons and hen’s teeth RARITIES
46. Quadrennial mathematics awards FIELDS MEDALS (from “Mrs. Fields”)
50. Traveling AWAY
51. Splenda rival EQUAL
55. His work was done by Friday ROBINSON CRUSOE (from “Mrs. Robinson”)
60. Home of H. Matisse’s “The Dance” MOMA
61. Scarlet fever cause STREP
62. Ambiance AURA
63. Leeway ROOM
64. Refrain from singing about a farm? EIEIO
65. “Phooey!” RATS!
66. Plato’s promenade STOA
67. iPad pictures ICONS
68. David and Goliath’s battlefield ELAH

Down
1. Surprise your friends, wedding-wise ELOPE
2. Point of resolution PIXEL
3. Intestine-related ILEAL
4. Notion CONCEPT
5. Vienna-based commercial gp. OPEC
6. ’70s-’80s TV attic-dweller MORK
7. “Fat chance!” AS IF!
8. __ Creed NICENE
9. Cornell’s city ITHACA
10. Millard was his vice president ZACHARY
11. Man, for one ISLE
12. Almost NEAR
13. Slammer CAN
21. Early Christian year ONE AD
22. __ sale TAG
26. Stat for Justin Verlander ERA
27. Bandleader Brown LES
28. 1984 Olympic slalom champion MAHRE
29. “Truth in Engineering” automaker AUDI
30. Smooth, in a way PAVE
31. They may be tight or right ENDS
32. Massage deeply ROLF
33. Sewer’s case ETUI
34. Unit of loudness SONE
38. Martin Sheen, to Emilio Estevez DAD
39. __ pro nobis ORA
40. Bathroom renovator TILER
43. Country band named for their home ALABAMA
45. Drafting implement T-SQUARE
47. SADD concern DWI
48. Japanese immigrant’s grandchild SANSEI
49. Sufi, e.g. MYSTIC
52. Garden-variety USUAL
53. Corpuscle’s passageway AORTA
54. Boxer’s restraint LEASH
55. Origin ROOT
56. “Typee” sequel OMOO
57. Three-layer treat OREO
58. Düsseldorf denial NEIN
59. USN noncoms CPOS
60. Title for the starts of 20-, 25-, 37-, 46- and 55-Across MRS

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