LA Times Crossword Answers 4 Jul 13, Thurday

CROSSWORD SETTER: David Steinberg
THEME: Tumble Dry … today’s grid contains rearrangements of the letters DRY in the circled squares:

64A. Not leave hanging? (or a hint to the circled letters) TUMBLE DRY

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 13m 55s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
4. Mideast leadership family name ASSAD
Dr. Bashar al-Assad is the current President of the Syrian Arab Republic and the son of the former President Hafez al-Assad whom he replaced in 2001. President Assad is a medical doctor, speaks fluent English and conversational French. Assad was studying ophthalmology in London when he met his wife, who is an Englishwoman.

9. Send to cloud nine ELATE
I don’t think that anyone is really certain of the etymology of the term “cloud nine”, but I do like the following explanation. The 1896 “International Cloud-Atlas” was a long-standing reference used to define cloud shapes. The biggest and puffiest of all cloud shapes (and most comfortable looking to lie on) is cumulonimbus. And you guessed it, of the ten cloud shapes defined in the atlas, cumulonimbus was cloud nine …

14. Multi-platinum Steely Dan album AJA
Steely Dan’s heyday was in the seventies when they toured for a couple of years, although the group mainly focused on studio work. The band was formed in 1972 and broke up in 1981. The core of the band reunited in 1993 and they are still going strong today.

15. Later, to Luis LUEGO
“Leugo” is Spanish for “later” as in “hasta luego!” meaning “see you later!”

16. Aviator’s number NINER
In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the number 9 is pronounced “niner”.

24. Mimic’s shtick APERY
A “shtick” is a routine, a bit, a piece of entertainment. It comes from the Yiddish “shtick”, which has the same meaning and derives from the Middle High German word “stücke”, the word for “piece”.

26. Classic doctor’s aide IGOR
Igor has been the assistant to Dracula, Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein among others. Igor is almost invariably portrayed as a hunchback.

28. Hot-tempered chef Gordon RAMSAY
Gordon Ramsay is a celebrity chef from Scotland who appears more on US television now than he does on British TV. Personally, I think the man is pretty obnoxious.

33. Claustrophobe’s cry AIR!
Claustrophobia is a fear of not being able to escape from a small enclosed space. The term derives from the Latin “claustrum” meaning “a shut in place” and the Greek “phobos” meaning “fear”.

34. Golden St. region SOCAL
“SoCal” is short for Southern California.

“The Golden State” has been the official nickname of California since 1968. The nickname reflects the expansion of the state’s economy that followed the discovery of gold, and also the fields of golden poppies seen growing wild across California in the spring.

37. Exmoor heroine DOONE
The novel “Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor” was written by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. R. D. Blackmore was an English novelist, very celebrated and in demand in his day (the late 1800s). His romantic story “Lorna Doone” was by no means a personal favorite of his, and yet it is the only one of his works still in print.

Exmoor is a moorland area in South West England that takes its name from the River Exe.

40. “Jerry Maguire” distributor TRISTAR
TriStar is a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, founded in 1982 as Nova Pictures. The company logo features Pegasus, the winged horse.

“Jerry Maguire” is a 1996 film starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renée Zellweger. The title character is played by Cruise, and is a sports agent. There are several liines oft quoted from “Jerry Maguire” including:

– “Show me the money!”
– “You complete me”
– “You had me at ‘hello’”

42. Video game initials NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era.

45. Actress Watts NAOMI
Naomi Watts was born in the UK and moved to Australia when she was 14 years of age. It was in Australia that Watts got her break in television and movies. Probably her most acclaimed role was in the 2003 film “21 Grams” with Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro. Watts is best friends with fellow Australian actress Nicole Kidman.

49. Biological food processor ENZYME
Enzymes are basically catalysts, chemicals that act to increase the rate of a particular chemical reaction. For example, starches will break down into sugars over time, especially under the right conditions. However, in the presence of the enzyme amylase (found in saliva) this production of sugar happens very, very quickly.

51. Fashion’s Gucci ALDO
Gucci was founded in Rome in 1921, by Guccio Gucci. Guccio’s son Aldo took over the company after his father’s death in 1953. It was Aldo who established the international presence for the brand and opened the company’s first overseas store, in New York City.

52. Drink it “and sleep!” beverage SANKA
The first successful process for removing caffeine from coffee involved steaming the beans in salt water, and then extracting the caffeine using benzene (a potent carcinogen) as a solvent. Coffee processed this way was sold as Sanka here in the US. There are other processes used these days, and let’s hope they are safer …

54. Jim’s wife on “The Office” PAM
The excellent sitcom “The Office” is set in a branch of a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. If you haven’t seen the original UK version starring Ricky Gervais, I do recommend you check it out. Having said that, the US cast took the show to a whole new level. Great television …

56. 1998 Masters champion O’MEARA
Mark O’Meara is an American golfer from Goldsboro, North Carolina. He is known as one of the American players who competes in international tournaments more than most, and has a reputation as a real gentleman all around the world.

58. “Adeste Fideles,” e.g. NOEL
The lovely hymn “Adeste Fideles” (aka “O Come, All Ye Faithful”) was written by one John Francis Wade in the 13th century. Well, he wrote the original four verses, with four more verses being added over time.

62. Yale founder Yale ELIHU
Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

67. “Someone Like You” singer ADELE
The English singer Adele Adkins goes by the stage name “Adele”. Adele describes her musical style as “heartbroken soul”. Not too long ago, Adele wrote and performed the theme song for the latest James Bond film, “Skyfall”.

Down
1. Window segment JAMB
A door or window jamb is the vertical portion of the frame. The term “jamb” comes from the French word “jambe” meaning “leg”.

2. Open slightly AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

4. Prince __ Khan ALY
Aly Khan was a familiar name used by the media when referring to Prince Ali Solomone Aga Khan, the Pakistani ambassador to the UN from 1958 to 1960. Khan made it into the papers a lot as he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth.

6. Ritual including bitter herbs SEDER
The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. One of the traditions at the meal is that the youngest child at the table asks “The Four Questions”, all relating to why this night is different from all other nights in the year:

– Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?
– Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?
– Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
– Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

9. Monster product ENERGY DRINK
Monster Energy is a drink containing lots of caffeine. The label on the drink usually warns the consumer about over-consumption of the contents.

10. Short, shortened LIL
“Lil” is a “shortened” word that’s means “short”.

11. 33-year “60 Minutes” regular ANDY ROONEY
Andy Rooney began his career in newspapers during WWII working for “Stars and Stripes” in London. He had some memorable experiences during the war, including flying on the first American bombing raid over Germany. He was also one of the first American journalists to visit the German concentration camps as they were liberated. He started his segment called “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney” on CBS’s “60 Minutes” way back in 1978, and so was on our screens for over 40 years. Rooney passed away in 2011. He was a cool, cool guy …

22. Freudian article EIN
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist, and founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. Freud’s native language was German, and so he used “ein” to say “a”, the indefinite article.

28. Sings like Snoop Lion RAPS
Snoop Lion is an alter-ego of rapper Snoop Dogg.

The rap star Snoop Dogg’s real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus. He is the most famous protege of the notorious rapper Dr. Dre. Sadly, Snoop Dogg has had numerous run-ins with police all round the world, even after he started to live the good life that came with his fame.

29. Pungent mayo AIOLI
To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, the “home” of aioli, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

30. James Brown nickname MR DYNAMITE
The singer James Brown was often referred to as “The Godfather of Soul” and sometimes “Mr. Dynamite”. He was born in Barnwell, South Carolina and had a rough and impoverished upbringing. He lived for some years in his aunt’s house which she ran as a brothel, and when he was sixteen he was convicted of armed robbery and was sent to reform school. While in reform school he was noticed by the R&B star Bobby Byrd, who took him under his wing. Byrd helped secure the young man an early release, and thereafter Brown turned his energies to music.

31. Chorus voice ALTO
In choral music, an alto is the second-highest voice in a four-part chorus made up of soprano, contr(alto), tenor and bass. The word “alto” describes the vocal range, that of the deepest female singing-voice, whereas the term “contralto” describes more than just the alto range, but also its quality and timbre. An adult male’s voice (not a boy’s) with the same range as an alto is called a “countertenor”.

35. Obama’s mil. title CINC
Commander-in-Chief (CINC)

38. 90 degrees from norte ESTE
In Spanish, north (norte) is 90 degrees from east (este).

44. Night class subj. ESL
English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

48. Manet or Monet, e.g. NOM
The French painter Édouard Manet is responsible for many great works including “Le déjeuner sur l’herbe” (The Luncheon on the Grass”) , a work you can see in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

Claude Monet painted the harbor of Le Havre in the north of France in 1872, giving it the title “Impression, Sunrise”. The painting is not a “realistic” representation of the scene in front of him, hence the name “impression”. It was this very painting that gave rise to the name of the Impressionist movement.

50. “Titanic” actor Billy ZANE
Billy Zane is an actor from Chicago, Illinois. One of Zane’s most prominent roles was the title character in the 1996 superhero film called “The Phantom”. He also played the somewhat creepy bad guy in the 1989 thriller movie called “Dead Calm”.

When James Cameron made his epic movie “Titanic”, released in 1997, it was the most expensive film ever made, costing about $200 million. It was a good investment for the studio as it became the highest-grossing film of all time, bringing in over $1.8 billion. “Titanic” remained the highest-grossing film until 2010, when Cameron eclipsed the prior record with “Avatar”.

52. Mecca native SAUDI
Mecca is in the Makkah province of Saudi Arabia and is the holiest city in Islam. Every year several million Muslims perform the Hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca.

55. Tar’s direction ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

A Jack Tar, or just “tar”, was a seaman in the days of the British Empire. The term probably arose due to a sailor’s various uses of tar back then, including waterproofing of clothes and using tar in the hair to slick down a ponytail.

57. SFO postings ETAS
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the maintenance hub for United Airlines, and is the principal base for Virgin America. And I am sitting in Philadelphia Airport right now waiting for my SFO flight to board …

60. Scary-sounding lake ERIE
Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes (Lake Ontario is the smallest). The lake takes its name from the Erie tribe of Native Americans that used to live along its southern shore. Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, something for which nearby residents must be quite grateful. Being relatively shallow, Erie freezes over part way through most winters putting an end to the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake’s edge.

61. Northern forest cat LYNX
A lynx is a wild cat, of which there are four species. These are:

– The Eurasian Lynx: the biggest of the four species.
– The Canada Lynx: well-adapted to life in cold environments.
– The Iberian Lynx: a native of the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and the most endangered cat species in the world.
– The Bobcat: our North American wildcat, the smallest of the four species.

63. Derby, for one HAT
I think a bowler hat is usually called a derby here in the US. The bowler was first produced in 1849 in London by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, hence the name. The alternative name of “derby” comes from the tradition of wearing bowler hats at the Derby horse race (a major race held annually in England).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. It’s usually a left JAB
4. Mideast leadership family name ASSAD
9. Send to cloud nine ELATE
14. Multi-platinum Steely Dan album AJA
15. Later, to Luis LUEGO
16. Aviator’s number NINER
17. Fate of one with a cause, perhaps MARTYRDOM
19. Respected figure ELDER
20. Cook up BREW
21. External layer VENEER
23. Distance units: Abbr. YDS
24. Mimic’s shtick APERY
26. Classic doctor’s aide IGOR
28. Hot-tempered chef Gordon RAMSAY
31. Slangy transition word ANYHOO
33. Claustrophobe’s cry AIR!
34. Golden St. region SOCAL
37. Exmoor heroine DOONE
39. Detachable craft POD
40. “Jerry Maguire” distributor TRISTAR
42. Video game initials NES
43. More wily SLYER
45. Actress Watts NAOMI
46. Take a course or two? EAT
47. Together IN SYNC
49. Biological food processor ENZYME
51. Fashion’s Gucci ALDO
52. Drink it “and sleep!” beverage SANKA
54. Jim’s wife on “The Office” PAM
56. 1998 Masters champion O’MEARA
58. “Adeste Fideles,” e.g. NOEL
62. Yale founder Yale ELIHU
64. Not leave hanging? (or a hint to the circled letters) TUMBLE DRY
66. Mark with a new price RETAG
67. “Someone Like You” singer ADELE
68. Racket DIN
69. Impression makers TEETH
70. Better song, usually SIDE A
71. Application datum SEX

Down
1. Window segment JAMB
2. Open slightly AJAR
3. Empty BARE
4. Prince __ Khan ALY
5. Construction job worker SURVEYOR
6. Ritual including bitter herbs SEDER
7. Anguish AGONY
8. Cathedral cap DOME
9. Monster product ENERGY DRINK
10. Short, shortened LIL
11. 33-year “60 Minutes” regular ANDY ROONEY
12. Slightly elevated TEED
13. Hits Reply All instead of Reply, say ERRS
18. Quaint contraction ‘TWAS
22. Freudian article EIN
25. Pie preparation PASTRY DOUGH
27. “So that’s your game!” OHO!
28. Sings like Snoop Lion RAPS
29. Pungent mayo AIOLI
30. James Brown nickname MR DYNAMITE
31. Chorus voice ALTO
32. Wee hr. ONE AM
35. Obama’s mil. title CINC
36. Sharp-tack center AS A
38. 90 degrees from norte ESTE
41. Willing to please AMENABLE
44. Night class subj. ESL
48. Manet or Monet, e.g. NOM
50. “Titanic” actor Billy ZANE
52. Mecca native SAUDI
53. Hardly defenseless ARMED
54. Brash PERT
55. Tar’s direction ALEE
57. SFO postings ETAS
59. Racing form info ODDS
60. Scary-sounding lake ERIE
61. Northern forest cat LYNX
63. Derby, for one HAT
65. Grassy expanse LEA

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