LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Nov 13, Tuesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Official records ACTA
Actum (plural “acta”) is the Latin word for “deed”. “Acta” is used in English to describe many official records, including minutes, proceedings etc.

16. Fancy fabric with metallic threads LAME
Lamé is a fabric that has metallic yarns included in the weave. Lamé is a popular fabric for stylish evening wear, and also in the sport of fencing. The metallic threads are conductive and so help register a touch by an épée.

17. Coral ring ATOLL
An atoll is a coral island that is shaped in a ring and enclosing a lagoon. There is still some debate as to how an atoll forms, but a theory proposed by Charles Darwin while on his famous voyage aboard HMS Beagle still holds sway. Basically an atoll was once a volcanic island that had subsided and fallen into the sea. The coastline of the island is home to coral growth which persists even as the island continues to subside internal to the circling coral reef.

20. State Department’s purview FOREIGN POLICY
The US Department of State is the equivalent of the Foreign Ministry in many other countries, and is responsible for international relations. Ceremonially, the Secretary of State is the highest ranking of all Cabinet officials, and is the highest ranking in the presidential line of succession (fourth, after the Vice President, the Speaker of the House and the President pro tem of the Senate). The department was created in 1789 by President Washington, the first of all executive departments created. The first Secretary of State was future president Thomas Jefferson.

23. Olds Cutlass model CIERA
Oldsmobile made the Cutlass Ciera from 1982 to 1996. The Ciera was the brand name’s most successful model.

26. Pulp comic that transformed Nick Fury into a super-spy STRANGE TALES
Nick Fury is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Fury was introduced to the world in 1963 as a WWII army hero and over time morphed into a CIA agent and then superhero. Fury was played by actor David Hasselhoff in a 1998 film called “Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and then by Samuel L. Jackson in a series of superhero movies in more recent years. I haven’t seen one of them …

31. British noblewomen DAMES
The title of Dame in the British system of honors is the female equivalent to “Sir”, as used to address a knight. In days of old, the title could be used by virtue of marriage to a man who had been knighted, but since the 17th century the wife of a knight has been called “Lady”. Today, anyone with the title of Dame has earned the honor in her own right and not through marriage.

37. Sorceress jilted by Jason MEDEA
In Greek mythology Medea was the wife of Jason, the heroic leader of the Argonauts. Medea was a sorceress who pledged to help Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece, on condition that he take her as his wife. According to some accounts, Jason left Medea and took up with Glauce, the daughter of the king of Corinth. Medea got her own back by sending Glauce a golden coronet and a dress that were covered with poison. The poison killed Glauce, and her father the king. To further her revenge on Jason, Medea killed two of her own children that were fathered by him.

38. Ireland’s Sinn __ FEIN
Sinn Féin is a political party in Ireland, largely representing the Catholic community in Northern Ireland. It is led by Gerry Adams, and has the stated aim of uniting Ireland north and south. Sinn Féin is Irish for “we ourselves”. It is currently the second largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the fourth largest in the Republic of Ireland’s parliament.

39. Dream state letters REM
REM is an acronym standing for Rapid Eye Movement sleep. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.

40. Suffix with Beatle -MANIA
The phenomenon known as “Beatlemania” originated in the early sixties, with the term describing the frenzy exhibited particularly by female fans of the group. The term is perhaps imitative of the much older “Lisztomania”, a term coined in 1844 for the similar fan frenzy directed towards pianist and composer Franz Liszt during an eight-year tour of Europe starting in 1939. Hysterical fans of Liszt would try to get locks of his hair, fight over his handkerchiefs and even carry glass vials containing the dregs from his coffee cup.

42. Entertainer with many fans? EXOTIC DANCER
The fan dance performed using ostrich feathers was popularized by burlesque star Sally Rand. “Sally Rand” was a stage name used by Helen Beck. The Rand name was given to her by film director Cecil B. DeMille, inspired by the Rand McNally road atlas. Rand’s most famous performance was at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. While performing at the Fair she was arrested four times for public nudity, even though the nudity was only an illusion as Rand was in fact wearing a body suit at the time.

45. Cling wrap brand SARAN
What’s known as plastic wrap in America, we call cling-film in Ireland. Plastic wrap was one of those unintended inventions, a byproduct of a development program to create a hard plastic cover for cars.

46. “Queen of Soul” Franklin ARETHA
I think Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, had a tough life. Franklin had her first son when she was just 13-years-old, and her second at 15. In 2008, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Franklin as number one in their list of the greatest singers of all time.

50. “War of the Worlds” attack ALIEN INVASION
“War of the Worlds” is a 2005 Steven Spielberg movie inspired by the H. G. Wells novel “The War of the Worlds”. The film’s hero is played by Tom Cruise, with the young Dakota Fanning in a supporting role. The movie was a box office hit, but I was disappointed …

55. Inning-by-inning runs summary LINE SCORE
In baseball, the line square is a summary set of statistics for the game. It is seen at every baseball stadium, and includes the number of runs scored by each team per innings, as well as the total number of hits and errors. The more comprehensive box score includes the line score, but also shows the individual performance of each player.

57. Hedren of “The Birds” TIPPI
Tippi Hedren is an actress from New Ulm, Minnesota who is best known for her starring roles in two Alfred Hitchcock classics: “The Birds” (1963) and “Marnie” (1964). Famously, Hedren claimed that Hitchcock destroyed her movie career because she would not succumb to his sexual advances, a charge that has been denied.

“The Birds” is a 1963 film made by Alfred Hitchcock based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier. I’ve read the story and seen the film and find them both strangely disturbing (it’s probably just me though!). I can’t stand the ending of either, as nothing resolves itself!

60. Actress Falco et al. EDIES
Edie Falco won her three Emmy Awards for playing Carmela Soprano on HBO’s outstanding drama series called “The Sopranos”.

Down
1. Major mix-up SNAFU
SNAFU is an acronym standing for Situation Normal: All Fouled Up (well, that’s the “polite” version!). As you might imagine, the term developed in the US Army, during WWII.

3. Passion, in Pisa AMORE
The city of Pisa is right on the Italian coast, sitting at the mouth of the River Arno, and is famous for its Leaning Tower. The tower is actually the campanile (bell tower) of the city’s cathedral, and it has been leaning since it was completed in 1173. Just shows you how important good foundations are …

6. Part of PGA: Abbr. ASSN
The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was founded in 1916 and today has its headquarters (unsurprisingly) in Florida, where so many golfers live. Back in 1916, the PGA was based in New York City.

7. Letters on a Soviet uniform CCCP
The acronym CCCP stands for “Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик”, which translates from Russian as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USSR.

8. Islands tuber TARO
The corm of some taro plants is used to make poi, the traditional Hawaiian dish (that I think tastes horrible). When a taro plant is grown as an ornamental, it is often called Elephant Ears due to the shape of its large leaves.

9. Kazakhstan border sea ARAL
The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

The Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia is the world’s largest landlocked country. Kazakhstan was the last of the former Soviet Republics to declare itself independent from Russia.

10. Keys at the keys ALICIA
Alicia Keys is the stage name of Alicia Cook, an R&B and soul singer from Hell’s Kitchen in New York City.

11. Westley portrayer in “The Princess Bride” CARY ELWES
Cary Elwes is an English actor, most noted for appearing in the 1987 film “The Princess Bride”. Cary is the son of a celebrated English portrait painter, Dominick Elwes.

“The Princess Bride” is a novel by William Goldman written in 1973. Famously, the book was adapted into a 1987 film of the same name directed by Rob Reiner that has become a cult classic.

12. Punk rock subgenre EMO
An “emo” is a person associated with the “emotional hardcore” rock music subculture.

19. Ancient Britons PICTS
The Picts were a Celtic people who lived in ancient Scotland, in the east and north of the country. The Picts gradually disappeared as an identifiable group, merging with the Gaels in the 10th century.

21. Belg. neighbor GER
Belgium (Belg.) shares a border with Germany (Ger.).

28. Gymnast Comaneci NADIA
Nadia Comaneci won three golds in the 1976 Summer Olympics and was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of a ten in the gymnastics competition. Comaneci published a book called “Letters to a Young Gymnast” in 2003, and now lives in the United States.

30. LAX posting ETA
Los Angeles International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and the busiest here on the West Coast of the US. The airport was opened in 1930 as Mines Field and was renamed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941. On the airport property is the iconic white structure that resembles a flying saucer. This is called the Theme Building and I believe it is mainly used as a restaurant and observation deck for the public. The airport used to be identified by the letters “LA”, but when the aviation industry went to a three-letter standard for airport identification, this was changed to “LAX”. Apparently the “X” has no significant meaning.

32. Billy Joel’s musical daughter ALEXA
The singer-songwriter Alexa Joel is the daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley.

38. Roosevelt’s chat spot FIRESIDE
President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a total of thirty evening radio addresses that were termed “fireside chats”. President Roosevelt had used similar addresses to further his political agenda while he was Governor of New York. In New York he faced opposition from a Republican legislature so Roosevelt appealed directly to voters to apply pressure for him.

44. Cleveland NBAer CAV
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1970.

49. Herb that tastes like licorice ANISE
Liquorice (also licorice) and aniseed have similar flavors, but they come from unrelated plants. The liquorice plant is a legume like a bean, and the sweet flavor is an extract from the roots. The flavor mainly comes from an ether compound called anethole, the same substance that gives the distinctive flavor to anise. The seedpods of the anise plant are what we know as “aniseed”. The anise seeds themselves are usually ground to release the flavor.

52. Ark helmsman NOAH
The term “ark”, when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word “tebah”. The word “tebah” is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word “tebah” doesn’t mean “boat” and nor does it mean “basket”. Rather, a more appropriate translation is “life-preserver” or “life-saver”. So, Noah’s ark was Noah’s life-preserver during the flood.

54. Rex Stout’s stout sleuth Wolfe NERO
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective and the hero of many stories published by author Rex Stout. There are 33 Nero Wolfe novels for us to read, and 39 short stories. There are also movie adaptations of two of the novels: ” Meet Nero Wolfe” (1936) which features a young Rita Hayworth, and “The League of Frightened Men” (1937). One of Wolfe’s endearing traits is his love of good food and beer, so he is a pretty rotund character.

Rex Stout was an author who is mainly known for his detective fiction featuring his hero Nero Wolfe. One of Stout’s friends was the British author P. G. Wodehouse, who wrote the “Jeeves” series of books.

55. Chocolate dog LAB
The Labrador breed of dog has been around at least since 1814, and the chocolate Labrador appeared over a century later in the 1930s.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Trapping device SNARE
6. Official records ACTA
10. Got an A on ACED
14. Restriction at some fitness clubs NO MEN
15. Mark from a healed wound SCAR
16. Fancy fabric with metallic threads LAME
17. Coral ring ATOLL
18. Metal to melt down SCRAP IRON
20. State Department’s purview FOREIGN POLICY
22. Anxious feeling UNEASE
23. Olds Cutlass model CIERA
26. Pulp comic that transformed Nick Fury into a super-spy STRANGE TALES
31. British noblewomen DAMES
34. Soda fountain orders MALTS
35. Try to win WOO
36. Happy hour pints ALES
37. Sorceress jilted by Jason MEDEA
38. Ireland’s Sinn __ FEIN
39. Dream state letters REM
40. Suffix with Beatle -MANIA
41. Theater access AISLE
42. Entertainer with many fans? EXOTIC DANCER
45. Cling wrap brand SARAN
46. “Queen of Soul” Franklin ARETHA
50. “War of the Worlds” attack ALIEN INVASION
55. Inning-by-inning runs summary LINE SCORE
57. Hedren of “The Birds” TIPPI
58. Bldg. annex ADDN
59. Slimmest of margins HAIR
60. Actress Falco et al. EDIES
61. Gravy vessel BOAT
62. Very OH SO
63. Like some populations DENSE

Down
1. Major mix-up SNAFU
2. “__ your life!” NOT ON
3. Passion, in Pisa AMORE
4. Issues RELEASES
5. Signs up ENLISTS
6. Part of PGA: Abbr. ASSN
7. Letters on a Soviet uniform CCCP
8. Islands tuber TARO
9. Kazakhstan border sea ARAL
10. Keys at the keys ALICIA
11. Westley portrayer in “The Princess Bride” CARY ELWES
12. Punk rock subgenre EMO
13. Bear lair DEN
19. Ancient Britons PICTS
21. Belg. neighbor GER
24. Do more work on, as a persistent squeak REOIL
25. In unison AS ONE
27. Revise AMEND
28. Gymnast Comaneci NADIA
29. Collect bit by bit GLEAN
30. LAX posting ETA
31. Has the nerve DARES
32. Billy Joel’s musical daughter ALEXA
33. Reminder notes MEMORANDA
37. Apple computer MAC
38. Roosevelt’s chat spot FIRESIDE
40. Short-short skirts MINIS
41. Like soda water AERATED
43. Natural ability TALENT
44. Cleveland NBAer CAV
47. Easy basketball score TIP-IN
48. Aspirations HOPES
49. Herb that tastes like licorice ANISE
51. Reverberation ECHO
52. Ark helmsman NOAH
53. Spring flower IRIS
54. Rex Stout’s stout sleuth Wolfe NERO
55. Chocolate dog LAB
56. Wedding vow words I DO

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