LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Aug 13, Thursday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Jeff Stillman
THEME: UA Switch … each of today’s themed answers is a well-known phrase ending with -AMP, but that suffix is changed to -AMP:

17A. Glowing sugar cube? FLUORESCENT LUMP (from “fluorescent lamp”)
26A. Campaign to raise mailing fees? POSTAGE STUMP (from “postage stamp”)
44A. Easy strikeout victim? BATTING CHUMP (from “batting champ”)
57A. Wedding song for Ivana or Marla? THE LADY IS A TRUMP (from “The Lady Is a Tramp”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 29s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Diana’s companion DODI
Dodi Al-Fayed was a film producer from Egypt, and the son of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the billionaire owner of Harrod’s department store in London and the Hôtel Ritz Paris. Famously, Dodi was romantically involved with Princess Diana of the UK, and died with her in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

5. Off-the-wall play CAROM
A carom is a ricochet, the bouncing of some projectile off a surface. Carom has come to mean the banking of a billiard ball, the bouncing of the ball off the side of the table.

10. “… baked in __” A PIE
“Sing a Song of Sixpence” is an English nursery rhyme that dates back to the 1700s. In the rhyme there are a couple of lines that go :

Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie

This seems to be a reference to the practice in the 16th century of “baking” live birds into a pie for special occasions. When the crust was cut open the birds would fly away, much to the amusement of the diners.

16. Without SANS
“Sans” is the French word for “without”, and is a word that we’ve absorbed into English.

17. Glowing sugar cube? FLUORESCENT LUMP (from “fluorescent lamp”)
A fluorescent lamp provides light because the inside of the bulb or tube has a phosphor coating which gives off visible light when exposed to invisible ultraviolet (UV) light. That UV light is provided by mercury vapor that is present in the gas inside the bulb. In turn, the mercury vapor emits UV light when it is excited by an electric current passing through the gas. So, hit the light switch, applying a current to the gas, exciting the mercury vapor causing it to emit UV light that hits the phosphor coating, causing the coating to emit visible light.

20. Electrical pioneer whose last known U.S. patent was for a helicopter-plane TESLA
Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia, but later moved to the US. Tesla’s work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems. Tesla had other interests besides electricity. He was awarded his last patent, in 1928, for a biplane that could take off vertically. This idea was the precursor for tiltrotor/tilt-wing aircraft that fly today.

21. A soprano one has short strings UKE
The ukulele originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

23. Ant who sings ADAM
Adam Ant is an English musician who had some number-one hits on both sides of the Atlantic in the eighties. His most famous recordings were probably “Stand and Deliver” and “Prince Charming” from 1981, and “Goody Two-Shoes” from 1982. Englishman Ant even managed to get himself voted as sexiest man in America by viewers of MTV.

26. Campaign to raise mailing fees? POSTAGE STUMP (from “postage stamp”)
“To stump” can mean to go on a speaking tour during a political campaign. This peculiarly American term dates back to the 19th century. Back then a “stump speech” was an address given by someone standing on a large tree stump that provided a convenient perch to help the speaker get his or her message across to the crowd.

31. Forearm bones HUMERI
The humerus is the long bone in the upper arm. The bones in the forearm are the radius and ulna.

32. Cyclotron bits IONS
A cyclotron accelerates charged particles (ions) using a magnetic field, usually directing the particles round and round a huge underground circular structure.

37. Polynesian porch LANAI
Named after the Hawaiian island, a lanai is a type of veranda.

41. Tax that funds Soc. Sec. FICA
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA) was introduced in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. FICA payments are made by both employees and employers in order to fund Social Security and Medicare.

42. More patrician NOBLER
In ancient Rome, the patricians were the members of the families in the ruling classes.

51. Outback runner EMU
The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

57. Wedding song for Ivana or Marla? THE LADY IS A TRUMP (from “The Lady Is a Tramp”)
“The Lady Is a Tramp” is a song from the 1937 musical “Babes in Arms” by Rodgers and Hart. The song was also sung by Frank Sinatra in the 1957 movie “Pal Joey”.

Ivana Winklmayr was born in Czechoslovakia. Winklmayr was an excellent skier, and was named as an alternate for the 1982 Czech Olympic Team. She was promoting the Montreal Olympics in New York in 1976 when she met Donald Trump. Ivana and Donald’s marriage was very public and well-covered by the media, but not nearly so well as their very litigious divorce in 1990.

Marla Maples was the second wife of Donald Trump. Maples and Trump dated secretly for a couple of years while the Donald was still married to his first wife, Ivana. When Ivana discovered the affair, she filed for divorce, and eventually Donald and Marla married. It was Trump’s turn to file for divorce several years later after the National Enquirer outed Marla for having an affair with a Florida bodyguard.

62. Cheeseboard choice EDAM
Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

63. While lead-in ERST-
Erstwhile means “in the past” or “once upon a time”.

Down
3. __ ex machina DEUS
“Deus ex machina” is a Latin phrase that translates as “god out of the machine”. “Deus ex machina” is a plot device used in some works whereby some apparently inextricable problem is suddenly resolved by an unexpected intervention. The term was first used in Horace’s “Ars Poetica”.

5. Stick for breaking, at times CUE
A cue is used to break when playing pool, when taking the first shot.

8. Decorative molding OGEE
An ogee is like an s-curve. Specifically it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S).

9. “Eight __ Out”: 1988 baseball movie MEN
In the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, eight Chicago White Sox players conspired to throw the World Series for financial gain. The tale is told in “Eight Men Out”, a movie released in 1988 based on the book “8 Men Out” written by Eliot Asinof and published in 1963.

10. In the arms of Morpheus ASLEEP
Morpheus was the Greek god of dreams and sleep, and is my favorite of the Greek gods. Morpheus of course gave his name to morphine, the sedative. The idiom “in the arms of Morpheus” means “asleep”.

11. Eighth-century pope PAUL I
Pope Paul I headed up the Roman Catholic Church from 757 to 767. Paul I succeeded Pope Stephen II, who was Paul’s brother.

12. Jude Law’s “Cold Mountain” role INMAN
The novel “Cold Mountain” was written in 1997 by Charles Frazier. It’s the tale of a deserter in the Civil War named W. P. Inman and his trek home to his beloved Ada Monroe, who is living the rural community of Cold Mountain in North Carolina. The plot has been compared with Homer’s “The Odyssey”, which tells of the long journey home of Odysseus to Ithaca after the Trojan War. In the 2003 film adaptation of the same name, Ada Monroe is played by Nicole Kidman, and Inman is played by Jude Law.

13. July awards show, with “the” ESPYS
The ESPY Awards are a creation of the ESPN sports television network. One difference with similarly named awards in the entertainment industry is that ESPY winners are chosen solely based on viewer votes.

18. Speed demon’s undoing RADAR
A traffic cop might use RADAR when trying to trap speedsters.

Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called Radio Detection And Ranging, which was shortened to the acronym RADAR.

26. Frat letters PHIS
Phi is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet.

28. Barrie buccaneer SMEE
In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy!

29. Old Testament peak SINAI
According to the Bible, Mount Sinai is the mountain on which Moses was given the Ten Commandments. The Biblical Mount Sinai is probably not the mountain in Egypt that today has the same name, although this is the subject of much debate. The Egyptian Mount Sinai has two developed routes that one can take to reach the summit. The longer gentler climb takes about 2 1/2 hours, but there is also the steeper climb up the 3,750 “steps of penitence”.

33. Scopes Trial gp. ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors.

In 1925 Tennessee passed the Butler Act which made it unlawful for a public school teacher to teach the theory of evolution over the Biblical account of the origin of man. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sought to challenge this law and found a test case of a Tennessee high school teacher named John Scopes, who was charged with violating the law by presenting to his students ideas put forth by Charles Darwin. Celebrity lawyers descended on the small town of Dayton, Tennessee to argue the case. At the end of a high profile trial, teacher John Scopes was found guilty as charged, and was ordered to pay a fine.

35. Auto ad no. MSRP
The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

41. Slice competitor FANTA
The soft drink “Fanta” has quite an interesting history. As WWII approached, the Coca-Cola plant in Germany had trouble obtaining the ingredients it needed to continue production of the cola beverage, so the plant manager decided to create a new drink from what was available. The new beverage was built around whey (left over from cheese production) and pomace (left over after juice has been extracted from fruit). The inventor asked his colleagues to use their imagination (“Fantasie” in German) and come up with a name for the drink, so they piped up “Fanta!”

Slice is a brand name used by PepsiCo for a line of fruit-flavored soft drinks.

43. Santa’s reindeer, e.g. OCTET
We get the names for Santa’s reindeer from the famous 1823 poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, although we’ve modified a couple of the names over the years. The full list is:

– Dasher
– Dancer
– Prancer
– Vixen
– Comet
– Cupid
– Donder (originally “Dunder”, and now often “Donner”)
– Blitzen (originally “Blixem”)

Rudolph was added to the list by retailer Montgomery Ward, would you believe? The store commissioned Robert L. May to create a booklet that could be handed out to children around Christmas in 1939, and May introduced us to a new friend for Santa, namely Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

44. Balanchine’s field BALLET
George Balanchine was a choreographer of ballet from Saint Petersburg, Russia who relocated to the US in the 1930s. Balanchine co-founded the New York City Ballet in 1948 with Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine is sometimes referred to as “the father of American ballet”.

45. Vertigo symptom NAUSEA
Vertigo is a Latin word meaning “dizziness” and has the same meaning in English. The Latin term comes from the Latin verb “vertere”, which means “to turn”.

52. Itty-bitty bug MITE
Mites are tiny arthropods in the arachnid (spider) class. Mites are (annoyingly!) very successful creatures that have adapted to all sorts of habitats, and being so small, they generally pass unnoticed. Ick …

55. Sultanate whose flag features two swords and a dagger OMAN
The national flag of Oman is made up of three stripes (white, red and green) alongside a red bar which bears the national emblem of the country (a dagger and two swords).

56. Tach nos. RPMS
The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

58. Banned pesticide DDT
DDT is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (don’t forget now!). DDT was used with great success to control disease-carrying insects during WWII, and when made available for use after the war it became by far the most popular pesticide. And then Rachel Carson published her famous book “Silent Spring”, suggesting there was a link between DDT and diminishing populations of certain wildlife. It was the public outcry sparked by the book, and reports of links between DDT and cancer, that led to the ban on the use of the chemical in 1972. That ban is touted as the main reason that the bald eagle was rescued from near extinction.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Diana’s companion DODI
5. Off-the-wall play CAROM
10. “… baked in __” A PIE
14. An awfully long time AGES
15. Meter reading USAGE
16. Without SANS
17. Glowing sugar cube? FLUORESCENT LUMP (from “fluorescent lamp”)
20. Electrical pioneer whose last known U.S. patent was for a helicopter-plane TESLA
21. A soprano one has short strings UKE
22. Team competition RELAY
23. Ant who sings ADAM
25. Some film-book relationships TIE-INS
26. Campaign to raise mailing fees? POSTAGE STUMP (from “postage stamp”)
31. Forearm bones HUMERI
32. Cyclotron bits IONS
33. Convenience store convenience ATM
36. Clinches ICES
37. Polynesian porch LANAI
39. Tennis coups ACES
40. Cow or sow SHE
41. Tax that funds Soc. Sec. FICA
42. More patrician NOBLER
44. Easy strikeout victim? BATTING CHUMP (from “batting champ”)
46. Field of plants? BOTANY
49. Regarding AS TO
50. Somewhat inclined ATILT
51. Outback runner EMU
53. Goof ERROR
57. Wedding song for Ivana or Marla? THE LADY IS A TRUMP (from “The Lady Is a Tramp”)
60. Mall map word HERE
61. Discourage DETER
62. Cheeseboard choice EDAM
63. While lead-in ERST-
64. Spring for lunch TREAT
65. Lairs DENS

Down
1. Bonkers DAFT
2. People-watch inappropriately OGLE
3. __ ex machina DEUS
4. Cuts off ISOLATES
5. Stick for breaking, at times CUE
6. Take for granted ASSUME
7. Rooftop accessory RACK
8. Decorative molding OGEE
9. “Eight __ Out”: 1988 baseball movie MEN
10. In the arms of Morpheus ASLEEP
11. Eighth-century pope PAUL I
12. Jude Law’s “Cold Mountain” role INMAN
13. July awards show, with “the” ESPYS
18. Speed demon’s undoing RADAR
19. Cuts back TRIMS
24. Gymnast’s asset AGILITY
25. Open D and open G, for guitars TUNINGS
26. Frat letters PHIS
27. Smart remark? OUCH!
28. Barrie buccaneer SMEE
29. Old Testament peak SINAI
30. __ fault TO A
33. Scopes Trial gp. ACLU
34. Swarm TEEM
35. Auto ad no. MSRP
38. Tread the boards ACT
39. Couldn’t stomach ABHORRED
41. Slice competitor FANTA
43. Santa’s reindeer, e.g. OCTET
44. Balanchine’s field BALLET
45. Vertigo symptom NAUSEA
46. Get clean BATHE
47. Survey choice OTHER
48. Levels TIERS
51. Observer EYER
52. Itty-bitty bug MITE
54. Uncivil RUDE
55. Sultanate whose flag features two swords and a dagger OMAN
56. Tach nos. RPMS
58. Banned pesticide DDT
59. Works in a gallery ART

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10 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Aug 13, Thursday”

  1. Bill , what a wonderful blog. Learnt a lot…

    Today's Google doodle is in honor of Claude Debussy – his Clare de Lune ( sp. ?). If your IPad won't play the musical cartoon sequence, you can go to Youtube and look at the same google doodle, with the sound and animation.

    Unfortunate as it was, the accident with Lady Di. Her companion's first name was – also somewhat suggestive — Do Di ?

    I got the whole puzzle – a Thursday under my belt. I am ecstatic !!!

    I got Carom, by chance. I am familiar with both this verb, and also the noun, Carrom, a game played on a smooth plywood surface, very popular in Pakistan, India, Malaya and many countries in Asia. It's like a 2 dimensional billiards, for the common man, and is played while sitting on a short stool. The cue is a 'striker' which is a marble or other hard material disc, pushed by the pointy finger to move wooden 'coins'.

    Tesla, with Edison, Westinghouse and a hunch backed pseudo dwarf named Charles Steinmetz ( the wizard of G.E. ) were probably the most influential in the development of A.C. current. A 8' bronze statue of the sitting Tesla is near the bridal falls, USA side, in Niagara Falls. Probably the most famous scientist, , still, – he died penniless and all alone, in an apartment in N Y City. Some people think he should have got a Nobel Prize.

    Thank you for really, illuminating my knowledge on the workings of the fluorescent light !!!!

    I tried to put ADDICT for Morpheus …. Later changed.

    I had PETER, before Pauli ( thank you for the 'First'). Does one 'rob' Peter to pay, and get, Paul ?

    So, the flag of Oman, does not have the crescent and the star ? Speaking from first hand experience, I believe it is a very tolerant nation, religion wise. It officially allows for the construction of churches and temples, within its boundaries.

    If you write, thus, ( not in the German style -) , DiChloro DiPhenyl Trichloro. Ethane. ….. I think it's a little easier to remember. Well aware, you are a chemist, by profession…..

    Have a good Thursday, and thanks again.

  2. "31. Forearm bones HUMERI
    The humerus is the long bone in the upper arm. The bones in the forearm are the radius and ulna."

    Right. Humeri are NOT forearm bones.

  3. Hi there, Vidwan.

    Dubussy is one of my favorite composers, especially for music which sends you off into dreamland. "Claire de Lune" fits that bill.

    Thanks for a host of info, about Carom the game, about Tesle, and about Oman.

    Have to agree about the German use of capitals. It really help with those long chemical names 🙂

  4. The "humorous" HUMERI error is thankfully an uncommon one in the "LA Times" puzzle. It's the first one that I can recall over the past 10 months that I've been doing the puzzle everyday.

    Not a bad track record 🙂

  5. I thought this was easier than yesterday's puzzle. Once I changed slump to chump, it all fell into place. Re: 31 A, Different papers and sites had either upper or forearm clued. I take it with a grain of salt. Its just a game.
    Brooke, How did you do today?

  6. Hi Addict! I completed I'd say about 96% of the puzzle and found it to be great fun. I love that little charge or thrill you get when filling in a long pun clue, "postage stump" and "lady is a trump."

  7. Brooke, Yes it is fun to get those long answers when they seem so daunting at first. I hesitated at ATM because the fees those charge at the convenient store "Ain't too Convenient" 🙂
    As long as you have fun is all that matters.

  8. @Addict
    I've got to agree with you about "having fun is all that matters". The occasional error getting through is to be expected, and it doesn't happen often.

    @Brooke
    Also agree with you, Brooke. Those "punny" clues are my favorites 🙂

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