LA Times Crossword Answers 13 Dec 13, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Michael Weisenberg & David Steinberg
THEME: Salmon Swimming … today’s themed answers include several types of SALMON, each SWIMMING UPSTREAM i.e. down answers written from bottom-to-top:

72A. Creature known for 3-Down SALMON

3D. With 41-Down, 72-Across phenomenon that’s graphically demonstrated five times in this puzzle SWIMMING
41D. See 3-Down UPSTREAM

9D. Type of 72-Across EYEKCOS (sockeye)
18D. Type of 72-Across OHOC (coho)
21D. Type of 72-Across DAEHLEETS (steelhead)
45D. Type of 72-Across KOONIHC (Chinook)
47D. Type of 72-Across MUHC (chum)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 9m 13s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. 1994 movie based on an androgynous “SNL” character IT’S PAT
The androgynous character known as “Pat” on “Saturday Night Live” was played by the comedienne Julia Sweeney. Pat appeared in a 1994 movie called “It’s Pat”, which is one of the worst films of all time, I am told …

7. 2013 Culinary Hall of Fame inductee EMERIL
Emeril Lagasse is an American chef, born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved notoriety as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

20. Work with freight LADE
The verb “lade” meaning “to load” comes from an Old English word “hladan”. Lade also used to mean “to draw water” and indeed gave us our word “ladle”. So “lade” and “ladle” are close cousins.

22. Kosher deli snack KNISH
A knish is a snack food from Germany and Eastern Europe made popular in the US by Jewish immigrants. A knish has a filling often made of mashed potato and ground meat, covered by a dough that is baked or fried.

25. Smart guy? ALEC
Apparently the original “smart Alec” was Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

27. Prefix with con NEO-
By definition, a neoconservative supports the use of American power and military to bring democracy, liberty, equality and human rights to other countries.

28. Old ring leader? ALI
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ’96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.

30. Language that gave us “galore” ERSE
Our word “galore”, meaning “in great numbers”, comes from the Irish phrase “go leór” that translates as “sufficiently, enough”.

34. Computer operating system with a penguin mascot LINUX
The Linux operating system uses as its mascot a penguin called “Tux”.

39. ’80s-’90s legal drama LA LAW
“L.A. Law” ran on NBC from 1986 to 1994, and was one of the network’s most successful drama series. It took over from the equally successful “Hill Street Blues” in the Thursday night 10 p.m. slot until, after a six-year run, it was itself replaced by yet another respected drama, “E.R.” The opening credits showed that famous California licence plate. The plate was on a Jaguar XJ for most of the series, but moved onto a Bentley towards the end of the run. For each series the registration sticker was updated, so no laws were being broken.

44. Ice Capades performer SKATER
The Ice Capades was a travelling show that featured ice skating performances in a theatrical setting. Stars of the shows were usually retired Olympic competitors. The Ice Capades were founded in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1940, but went out of business in 1995.

47. Bone tissue MARROW
One of the main roles of bone marrow is the production of red blood cells, although this process is limited to the heads of the long bones in the body. Marrow also produces the lymphocytes that support the body’s immune system.

50. Right on el mapa ESTE
In Spanish, east (este) is to the right on the map (el mapa).

52. Friend of Frodo SAM
Samwise Gamgee is the sidekick to Frodo Baggins in Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”.

Frodo Baggins is a principal character in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. Frodo is a Hobbit, and is charged with the quest of destroying Sauron’s Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.

53. Diminutive suffix -ULE
Capsule, module, molecule etc.

56. Part of Q.E.F. ERAT
“Quod erat faciendum” (QEF) is similar to the phrase “quod erat demonstrandum” (QED), both of which were used by Euclid in his theorems. “Quod erat faciendum” means “what was to have been done”, and is used at the end of a proposition that was not intended as a proof, but rather as a construction.

62. Hyde Park vehicle PRAM
Another word used in the UK that’s rarely used over here is “pram”, which in my day was the most common term for what is called a baby carriage in the US. “Pram” is short for “perambulator”.

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London. A famous element in Hyde Park is Speakers’ Corner, located in the northeast corner of the park. Speakers’ Corner was the site of the infamous Tyburn gallows that was used for public executions in centuries past. Today, Speakers’ Corner is a site for public speeches and debate, and a center for public protest. Some say that the tradition of allowing free speech at the site dates back to the condemned man being allowed to say his piece prior to execution at the Tyburn gallows.

65. Tapas bar sausage CHORIZO
Chorizo is a type of pork sausage that is made with different recipes around the world. The term “chorizo” originated in the Iberian Peninsula.

67. Tia who voiced Nani in “Lilo & Stitch” CARRERE
Tia Carrere is an actress from Honolulu who got her break in the soap opera “General Hospital”. Carrere is perhaps best known for playing Cassandra Wong in the “Wayne’s World” movies.

“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.

69. Quiver carrier ARCHER
A “quiver” is a container used for carrying arrows.

71. __ Sutton, Bond girl in “A View to a Kill” STACEY
Stacey Sutton is the “Bond girl” in the movie “A View to a Kill”, played by actress Tanya Roberts.

“A View to a Kill” is a James Bond movie with Roger Moore playing the famous 007. The villain of this particular piece was played very ably by Christopher Walken. In the film, Actress Maude Adams appears as an extra in a scene shot at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. She was visiting her friend Roger Moore, and happened to get caught in the background. Adams is the only actress to play a Bond girl twice (in “The Man with the Golden Gun” and “Octopussy”), and she also merits this uncredited appearance in “A View to a Kill”.

Down
2. Ran like the dickens TORE
The phrase “like the dickens” is used to mean “a lot” (it hurts like the dickens) or “quickly” (ran like the dickens). The phrase has nothing to do with the author Charles Dickens, and rather “dickens” is a euphemism for the “devil”.

4. Mountain Dew bottler, informally PEPSI
If you check the can, you’ll see that the soda once called “Mountain Dew” is now known as “Mtn Dew”.

5. Dada pioneer ARP
Hans Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. He was sent home …

Dadaism thrived during and just after WWI, and was an anti-war, anti-bourgeois and anti-art culture. The movement began in Zurich, Switzerland started by a group of artists and writers who met to discuss art and put on performances in the Cabaret Voltaire, frequently expressing disgust at the war that was raging across Europe.

6. Note handler TELLER
“To tell” can mean “to count”, as in “telling one’s blessings” and “there are 16, all told”. This usage of the word “tell” gives us the term “bank teller”.

7. 1958 Pacer, e.g. EDSEL
The Edsel brand of automobile was named for Edsel, son of Henry Ford. Sadly, the name “Edsel” has become synonymous with “failure”, which was no fault of Edsel himself who had died several years before the Edsel line was introduced in 1958.

8. Ginnie __ MAE
Ginnie Mae is the familiar nickname for the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), a government-owned corporation created in 1968 with the objective of promoting home ownership. The “Ginnie Mae” nickname is derived from the GNMA acronym.

9. Type of 72-Across EYEKCOS (sockeye)
The sockeye salmon is also known as the red or blueback salmon. The name “sockeye” comes from “suk-kegh”, a word from the native language of an indigenous people in British Columbia. “Suk-kegh” means “red fish”.

10. Reddish mount ROAN
A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

12. One paying a flat fee LESSEE
“Flat” is a word more commonly used in the British Isles than here. A flat is basically an apartment or condominium. The word “flat” is Scottish in origin, in which language it meant a “floor in a house”.

14. Narc’s agcy. DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

18. Type of 72-Across OHOC (coho)
The Coho salmon is silver along the side of its body, but only during the phase of its life while it is in the ocean. When spawning and heading up into a freshwater river, the Coho has bright red sides.

21. Type of 72-Across DAEHLEETS (steelhead)
The steelhead and rainbow trout are actually the same species. The difference is that rainbow trout usually return to freshwater to spawn after two or three years at sea, while the steelhead spends its whole life in the ocean. Apparently steelheads were reclassified as a salmon species relatively recently.

24. Morgan of comics REX
“Rex Morgan, M.D.” is a comic strip that was introduced in 1948 and still runs today. The strip is drawn by Dal Curtis, which is the penname of psychiatrist Dr. Nicholas P. Dallis. “Rex Morgan, M.D.” has been described as a soap-opera comic strip. It has also been praised for taking on difficult subjects like domestic violence, HIV/AIDS and sexual harassment.

26. Self-help website EHOW
eHow is a how-to website that was founded in 1999. eHow has an awful lot of content but doesn’t do a great job of assessing the value of that content. I wouldn’t recommend it …

28. Sight from the Brenner Pass ALP
The Brenner Pass is one of the main mountain passes through the Alps, and is located along the border between Austria and Italy. The name “Brenner” comes from “Prenner”, the name of a nearby farm and its owner. There is a motorway that goes through the pass today, but it is renowned for the long traffic jams that build up especially when northern Europeans are heading to the Mediterranean for summer vacation.

31. Skedaddle SCAT
“Skedaddle ” is a slang term meaning “run away” that dates back to the Civil War.

35. BOAC destination in a Beatles hit USSR
The Beatles’ hit “Back in the U.S.S.R.” starts out:

Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC
Didn’t get to bed last night
On the way the paper bag was on my knee
Man, I had a dreadful flight
I’m back in the USSR
You don’t know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the USSR, yeah

By the time the Beatles recorded “Back in the U.S.S.R”, they were having a lot of problems working with each other. The song was recorded in 1968, with the band formally dissolving in 1970. Tensions were so great during the recording of “Back in the U.S.S.R” that Ringo Starr actually stormed out saying that he had quit, and the remaining three Beatles made the record without Ringo. Drums were played mainly by Paul McCartney, but there are also drum tracks on the final cut by both George Harrison and John Lennon. Interesting, huh?

British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was one of the two airlines that were merged in 1974 to form British Airways (the other was British European Airways).

37. Some crew members OARS
A scull is a boat used for competitive rowing. The main hull of the boat is often referred to as a shell. Crew members who row the boat can be referred to as “oars”.

42. Optima or Soul KIA
The Kia Optima was sold for a while in Canada and Europe as the Kia Magentis.

The Kia Soul is a compact car produced in South Korea, although it was designed by Kia here in Irvine, California.

43. Common street name ELM
The most common street name in the US is “Second Street”. “First Street” comes in only at number three, and this is because many cities and towns forego the use of “First” and instead go with “Main” or something more historical in nature. “Elm Street” appears on the list at number fifteen.

45. Type of 72-Across KOONIHC (Chinook)
Also known as king salmon, the Chinook salmon is the largest species of Pacific salmon. The Chinook salmon that migrate upriver to spawn in the Yukon River in Alaska travel almost 2,000 miles from the Bering Sea to the spawning grounds. That the longest freshwater migration of any salmon species.

46. __ diem PER
“Per diem” is the Latin for “by the day”.

47. Type of 72-Across MUHC (chum)
The chum salmon is sometimes seen on the market shelf as Silverbrite salmon. The name “Chum” comes from a Chinook word for “spotted”, a reference to the markings on the side of the fish.

48. Island farewells ALOHAS
The Hawaiian word “Aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.

51. Natives of Paris and Odessa TEXANS
The city of Paris, Texas is in the northeast corner of the state. The residents like to call the city the “Second Largest Paris in the World”. Cute …

The city of Odessa, Texas has as its symbol the jack rabbit. This is because from the thirties through the seventies the city hosted a rodeo for roping rabbits. The Humane Society applied pressure and the city did away with the tradition in 1977.

55. “It floats” soap IVORY
Ivory soap is one of Procter & Gambles oldest products, introduced way back in 1879. Ivory soap is noted for its “purity” and also because of its property of floating in water. Despite urban myths to the contrary, the property of floating in water was developed deliberately by a chemist at the time Ivory was being formulated. The soap floats because the ingredients are mixed longer than necessary for homogenization, which introduces more air into the product.

57. National Poetry Month APRIL
April was chosen as National Poetry Month by the Academy of American Poets in 1996.

59. Seal hunter ORCA
The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

61. “Vous êtes __”: Paris map words ICI
“Vous êtes ici” are important words to know when navigating your way around Paris. They mean “You are here”, and you’ll often see them on maps in the street.

63. Italian river ARNO
The Arno is the principal river in the Tuscany region of Italy, passing through the cities of Florence and Pisa. Famously the Arno flooded in 1966, the worst flood in the region for centuries. There were numerous deaths and extensive destruction of priceless art treasures, particularly in Florence.

66. Zombie leader? ZEE
Z (zee) is the first letter in the word “Zombie”.

68. Old vitamin bottle no. RDA
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. 1994 movie based on an androgynous “SNL” character IT’S PAT
7. 2013 Culinary Hall of Fame inductee EMERIL
13. Dwarfed, with “above” TOWERED
15. Nonspecific journal opening DAY ONE
16. Severely damage CRIPPLE
17. Cross-referencing phrase SEE ALSO
19. Tailors’ work HEMS
20. Work with freight LADE
22. Kosher deli snack KNISH
23. Wet tract MIRE
25. Smart guy? ALEC
27. Prefix with con NEO-
28. Old ring leader? ALI
30. Language that gave us “galore” ERSE
32. Course-prep course HOME EC
34. Computer operating system with a penguin mascot LINUX
36. Name CHOOSE
38. Hanging aids PEGS
39. ’80s-’90s legal drama LA LAW
40. Zap NUKE
44. Ice Capades performer SKATER
46. One who has class? PUPIL
47. Bone tissue MARROW
50. Right on el mapa ESTE
52. Friend of Frodo SAM
53. Diminutive suffix -ULE
54. Taking care of business ON IT
56. Part of Q.E.F. ERAT
58. Board HOP ON
60. Common auto engine V-SIX
62. Hyde Park vehicle PRAM
65. Tapas bar sausage CHORIZO
67. Tia who voiced Nani in “Lilo & Stitch” CARRERE
69. Quiver carrier ARCHER
70. State on Lake Michigan INDIANA
71. __ Sutton, Bond girl in “A View to a Kill” STACEY
72. Creature known for 3-Down SALMON

Down
1. Hankering ITCH
2. Ran like the dickens TORE
3. With 41-Down, 72-Across phenomenon that’s graphically demonstrated five times in this puzzle SWIMMING
4. Mountain Dew bottler, informally PEPSI
5. Dada pioneer ARP
6. Note handler TELLER
7. 1958 Pacer, e.g. EDSEL
8. Ginnie __ MAE
9. Type of 72-Across EYEKCOS (sockeye)
10. Reddish mount ROAN
11. Queued up IN LINE
12. One paying a flat fee LESSEE
14. Narc’s agcy. DEA
18. Type of 72-Across OHOC (coho)
21. Type of 72-Across DAEHLEETS (steelhead)
24. Morgan of comics REX
26. Self-help website EHOW
28. Sight from the Brenner Pass ALP
29. Excuse, sometimes LIE
31. Skedaddle SCAT
33. List of options MENU
35. BOAC destination in a Beatles hit USSR
37. Some crew members OARS
39. Aeration target LAWN
41. See 3-Down UPSTREAM
42. Optima or Soul KIA
43. Common street name ELM
45. Type of 72-Across KOONIHC (Chinook)
46. __ diem PER
47. Type of 72-Across MUHC (chum)
48. Island farewells ALOHAS
49. News show staple REPORT
51. Natives of Paris and Odessa TEXANS
55. “It floats” soap IVORY
57. National Poetry Month APRIL
59. Seal hunter ORCA
61. “Vous êtes __”: Paris map words ICI
63. Italian river ARNO
64. Bell curve center MEAN
66. Zombie leader? ZEE
68. Old vitamin bottle no. RDA

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5 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 13 Dec 13, Friday”

  1. Good morning Bill, and friends.

    This was tough, I was worried not only about the answers, but what did they mean ? I understand Mr. Steinberg is still in his teens …. And this is what you get get when a teenager takes control. Lol.

    Kidding aside, I understand he is a brilliant young man with a great future ahead of him …. And has done notable things like cataloging in Across lite …. LITZING … ( yes, that's a word -), all the old pre-Will Shortz puzzles etc. also won a Davidson scholarship !!

    Link David Steinberg, crossword Editor

    I needed your blog more than ever before !
    I thought the knish was a donut or a Danish.. Glad I never ordered it. Lol.
    I only knew of Pussy Galore from the James Bond movies… And I always thought it was a risqué name.

    Thank you for Q.E.F. …. I must find out more, about this. My new word, … Er, initials, for the day.
    Thanks for explaining that Charles Dickens had nothing to do with,'run like the dickens'. That removes much confusion.

    Have a nice weekend, all.

  2. Hi there, Vidwan.

    A tough puzzle indeed, especially if you don't really know your salmon 🙂 David can come up with some really inventive themes for puzzles. The NYTimes solving community is still talking about a crossword David had published in that paper yesterday, one of the toughest I've had to solve in a long time.

    Hope you have a good weekend too!

  3. Oh NO! Mr. Bill.
    I messed up by ONE letter.
    Guessed at CHUM and it was correct.
    Messed up CARRERa which gave me MaAN.
    This was tough, but I thought I nailed it. Alas, I didn't. (sigh)
    Sockeye and Coho were the only ones I could think of.
    After the theme revealed itself, I suspected the answers to be written bottom to top, and I was right.
    I must look up your blog on yesterday's NY puzzle.

    Hi from "Porkies", Vidwan 😉

  4. The change from the Jaguar to the Bentley reflected the change in the car Corbin Bernsen's character Arnold Becker drove. He
    got his Bentley in the final season. He was the flashy one.

  5. @Pookie
    Oh NO, Ms. Pookie! ONE letter 🙂 Ah well. Hopefully you enjoyed the challenge anyway. You should indeed check yesterday's NYTimes puzzle. I was completely lost and just staggered home (almost) without really knowing where I was going.

    @Vidwan fan
    That's just the kind of trivia we like to hear on the blog. It will come in useful one day, I am sure of it. Thanks!

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