LA Times Crossword Answers 18 Mar 14, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke
THEME: Go Ape … each of today’s themed answers ends with a word meaning GO APE:

18A. Smart remark WISECRACK
27A. Crisp cookie GINGER SNAP
48A. Super-popular ALL THE RAGE
63A. Compulsive cleaner NEAT FREAK

71A. Lose it, and a hint to the last words of 18-, 27-, 48- and 63-Across GO APE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 27s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

14. Media mogul Winfrey OPRAH
What can you say about Oprah Winfrey? Born into poverty to a single mother and with a harrowing childhood, Oprah is now the greatest African American philanthropist the world has ever known. Oprah’s name was originally meant to be “Orpah” after the Biblical character in the Book of Ruth, and that’s how it appears on her birth certificate. Apparently folks had trouble pronouncing “Orpah”, so she’s now “Oprah”.

15. Old studio letters RKO
The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO acronym then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.

16. Google rival YAHOO!
Jerry Yang and David Filo called their company “Yahoo!” for two reasons. Firstly, a Yahoo is a rude unsophisticated brute from Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels”. Secondly, Yahoo stands for “Yet another Hierarchical Officious Oracle”.

17. “The Cloister and the Hearth” author Charles READE
Charles Reade was an English author who came to public attention with a two-act comedy play called “Masks and Faces”. Reade turned the play into a prose story in 1852 that he called “Peg Woffington”. Reade also wrote a historical novel called “The Cloister and the Hearth” about a married man who becomes a Dominican friar on hearing that his wife has died. Years later he discovers that his wife is in fact still living and a struggle develops between the man’s obligation to family and his obligation to the Roman Catholic Church.

20. Bowling building ALLEY
Bowling has been around for an awfully long time. The oldest known reference to the game is in Egypt, where pins and balls were found in an ancient tomb that is over 5,000 years old. The first form of the game to come to America was nine-pin bowling, which had been very popular in Europe for centuries. In 1841 in Connecticut, nine-pin bowling was banned due to its association with gambling. Supposedly, an additional pin was added to get around the ban, and ten-pin bowling was born.

21. Year’s record ANNAL
“Annal” is a rarely used word, the singular of the more common “annals”. An annal would be the recorded events of one year, with annals being the chronological record of events in successive years. The term “annal” comes from the Latin “annus” meaning “year”.

22. Word from a heckler BOO!
The original use of the verb “to heckle” was to mean questioning severely, and for many years was associated with the public questioning of parliamentary candidates in Scotland. In more recent times, the meaning has evolved into questioning that is less polite and directed at comics.

27. Crisp cookie GINGER SNAP
“Ginger snap cookies” are known as “ginger nut biscuits” back in Ireland where I come from …

35. Old vitamin bottle no. RDA
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII and are a set of recommendations for the standard daily allowances of specific nutrients. RDAs were effectively absorbed into a broader set of dietary guidelines in 1997 called Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs). RDIs are used to determine the Daily Values (DV) of foods that are printed on nutrition fact labels on most food that we purchase.

36. Melville novel that continued the story from “Typee” 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”).

37. Betray like a stoolie RAT ON
Stoolies, also called canaries, will sing to the cops given the right incentive. “Stoolie” is short for “stool pigeon”. A stool pigeon was a decoy bird tied to a stool so as to lure other pigeons. “Stoolies” were originally decoys for the police, rather than informers, hence the name.

38. Country music’s __ Ridge Boys OAK
The vocal quartet known as the Oak Ridge Boys were founded as a southern gospel group during the fifties called the Oak Ridge Quartet. The foursome changed their focus to country music in the seventies, and changed their name at the same time.

42. “As I see it,” in texts IMO
In my opinion (IMO)

45. LAX predictions ETAS
Expected time of arrival (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.

46. Windy City hrs. CST
Central standard time (CST)

It seems that the derivation of Chicago’s nickname as the “Windy City” isn’t as obvious as I would have thought. There are two viable theories. First that the weather can be breezy, with wind blowing in off Lake Michigan. The effect of the wind is exaggerated by the grid-layout adopted by city planners after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The second theory is that “windy” means “being full of bluster”. Sportswriters from the rival city of Cincinnati were fond of calling Chicago supporters “windy” in the 1860s and 1870s, meaning that they were full of hot air in their claims that the Chicago White Stockings were superior to the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

51. Jessica of “Sin City” ALBA
Actress Jessica Alba got her big break when she was cast in the Fox science fiction show “Dark Angel”. Alba had a tough life growing up as she spent a lot of time in hospital and so found it difficult to develop friendships. As a youngster she twice had a collapsed lung, frequently caught pneumonia, suffered from asthma, had a ruptured appendix and a tonsular cyst. On top of all that she acknowledges that she suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder as a child. It seems that she has really turned her life around …

“Sin City” is a 2005 thriller movie that is based on a series of graphic novels by Frank Miller. Miller also co-directs the film. “Sin City” has a large ensemble cast that includes Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Clive Owen and Mickey Rourke. The author Frank Miller even plays a role himself.

53. Voice below soprano 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”.

54. Unit of resistance OHM
The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every school kid knows as Ohm’s Law.

57. Desktop computer that inspired clones IBM PC
The original IBM Personal Computer is model number 5150, which was introduced to the world on August 12, 1981. The term “personal computer” was already in use, but the success of the IBM 5150 led to the term “PC” being used for all computer products compatible with the IBM platform.

59. Rainy-day covers TARPS
Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.

67. Place for pampering SPA
The word “spa” migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name “Spa” comes from the Walloon word “espa” meaning “spring, fountain”.

68. Israeli desert NEGEV
The Negev is a desert region in southern Israel. The largest city in the Negev is Beersheba.

70. Skosh TAD
Back in the 1800s “tad” was used to describe a young child, and this morphed into our usage of “small amount” in the early 1900s. The original use of “tad” for a child is very likely a shortened version of “tadpole”.

“Skosh” is a slang term meaning “a little bit”, originally military slang that came out of the Korean War. “Skosh” derives from the Japanese word “sukoshi” which translates as “few, little, some”.

Down
1. Cartoon explorer with a cousin named Diego DORA
“Dora the Explorer” is a cartoon series shown on Nickelodeon. Part of Dora’s remit is to introduce the show’s young viewers to some Spanish words and phrases.

2. German automaker OPEL
Adam Opel founded his company in 1863, first making sewing machines in a cowshed. Commercial success brought new premises and a new product line in 1886, namely penny-farthing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, leaving his two sons with a company that made more penny-farthings and sewing machines than any other company in the world. In 1899 the two sons partnered with a locksmith and started to make cars, but not very successfully. Two years later, the locksmith was dropped in favor of a licensing arrangement with a French car company. By 1914, Opel was the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Germany. My Dad had an Opel in the seventies, a station wagon (we’d say “estate car” in Ireland) called an Opel Kadett.

3. Eurasian border river URAL
The Ural River rises in the Ural Mountains in Russia and flows for half its length through Russian territory until it crosses the border into Kazakhstan, finally emptying into the Caspian Sea.

6. Holmes’ confidant DR WATSON
In the marvelous Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson is referred to only by his family name, except for two occasions when it is revealed that his first name is John. However, in a third and final mention, Dr. Watson is called “James” by his wife, apparently a lapse in memory on the part of the author.

8. Region bordering Croatia BOSNIA
Bosnia and Herzegovina was one of six federal units in former Yugoslavia that gained independence after the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. There are three main ethnic groups in Bosnia. The largest group are the Bosniaks, the second the Bosnian Serbs, and the third the Bosnian Croats.

The Republic of Croatia is a Balkan country. The Croats declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

11. Obsessed fictional captain AHAB
Captain Ahab is the obsessed and far from friendly Captain of the Pequod in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”.

12. Bonkers LOCO
In Spanish, if one isn’t sane (sano) one might be described as crazy (loco).

The word “bonkers” meaning “crazy” originated in the fifties. The term might come from navy slang meaning “slightly drunk”, behaving as though one received a “bonk” on the head.

13. Early cartoon clown KOKO
Koko the Clown was a character who appeared in animated cartoons created by Max Fleischer. Koko first appearance was back in 1919, and his last in 1934.

19. Lawman Wyatt EARP
Wyatt Earp is famous as one of the participants in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Earp was a city policeman in Wichita, Kansas and also in Dodge City, Kansas. Earp was also deputy sheriff in Tombstone, Arizona where the O.K. Corral gunfight took place. Years later, Earp joined the Alaska Gold Rush and with a partner built and operated the Dexter Saloon in Nome.

24. Culinary author Rombauer IRMA
Irma Rombauer was the author of the famous cookbook “The Joy Of Cooking”. Rombauer self-published the book back in 1931 in St. Louis, Missouri. She and her family continued to publish privately as demand was high, and then a commercial printing house picked it up in 1936. “The Joy of Cooking” has been in print continuously ever since.

26. RR stop STA
A station (sta.) is a stop along a railroad (RR).

28. Montana neighbor IDAHO
Idaho has the nickname the Gem State, mainly because almost every known type of gemstone has been found there. Idaho is also sometimes called the Potato State as potatoes are such a popular crop in the state.

30. Prestigious prize NOBEL
The Peace Prize is the most famous of the five prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel. The others are for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. There is also a Nobel Prize in Economics that is awarded along with the original five, but it is funded separately and is awarded “in memory of Alfred Nobel”. Four of the prizes are awarded by Swedish organizations (Alfred Nobel was a Swede) and so the award ceremonies take place in Stockholm. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and that award is presented in Oslo.

32. City in upstate New York UTICA
Utica in New York is known as “Second Chance City” these days, due to the recent influx of refugees from war-torn parts of the world and from Bosnia in particular. These immigrants have helped revitalize the area and reverse a trend of population loss.

33. Asian menu assurance NO MSG
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of a naturally-occurring,non-essential amino acid called glutamic acid. It is used widely as a flavor enhancer, particularly in many Asian cuisines. Whether or not it is harmful seems to be still under debate. I say that something produced in a test tube shouldn’t be in our food …

37. Turning back to zero, as an odometer RESETTING
An odometer measures distance traveled. The term “odometer’ derives from the Greek “hodos” meaning “path” and “metron” meaning “measure”.

41. Satirist Mort SAHL
Mort Sahl is a Canadian-born actor and comedian who moved to the US with his family when he was a child. Sahl became friends with John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy became president, Sahl wrote a lot of jokes for the President’s speeches, although he also told a lot of Kennedy jokes in his acts. After the President was assassinated in 1963, Sahl was intensely interested in finding out who was behind the crime and even got himself deputized as a member of one of the investigating teams. He was very outspoken against the results of the Warren Commission report on the assassination, and soon found himself out of favor with the public. It took a few years for him to make his comeback, but come back he did.

44. Duracell size AAA
Duracell is a brand of batteries made today by Procter & Gamble. “Duracell” is a portmanteau of “durable” and “cell”.

50. Truckers’ competition ROADEO
A “roadeo” is a competition held between drivers of buses or trucks. Obviously, the term is a play on the words “road” and “rodeo”.

60. Sitar music RAGA
Raga isn’t really a type of music, but has been described as the “tonal framework” in which Indian classical music is composed. Ravi Shankar was perhaps the most famous raga virtuoso (to us Westerners).

The sitar has been around since the Middle Ages. The sitar is a stringed instrument that is played by plucking, and is used most often in Hindustani classical music. In the West we have been exposed to the instrument largely through the performances of Ravi Shankar and some music by George Harrison of the Beatles, a onetime student of Shankar.

61. Get ready for the OR PREP
A surgeon might prepare (prep) for the Operating Room (OR).

62. Golfer Ballesteros SEVE
Seve Ballesteros was a very entertaining golfer from Spain, once ranked as the world’s number one player. Sadly, Ballesteros died from brain cancer in 2011, at the age of 54.

64. Shih __: Tibetan dog TZU
The Shih Tzu is one of the oldest breeds of dog, a breed that originated in China. Shih Tzus have long hairy coats but they don’t shed.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Uncertainty DOUBT
6. Bit of gel DAB
9. Classroom supply CHALK
14. Media mogul Winfrey OPRAH
15. Old studio letters RKO
16. Google rival YAHOO!
17. “The Cloister and the Hearth” author Charles READE
18. Smart remark WISECRACK
20. Bowling building ALLEY
21. Year’s record ANNAL
22. Word from a heckler BOO!
23. Firmness of spirit GRIT
25. Makes furious IRES
27. Crisp cookie GINGER SNAP
31. Ditty TUNE
35. Old vitamin bottle no. RDA
36. Melville novel that continued the story from “Typee” OMOO
37. Betray like a stoolie RAT ON
38. Country music’s __ Ridge Boys OAK
39. Team supporters, collectively FAN BASE
42. “As I see it,” in texts IMO
43. Reaper’s bundle SHEAF
45. LAX predictions ETAS
46. Windy City hrs. CST
47. Can in a cooler SODA
48. Super-popular ALL THE RAGE
51. Jessica of “Sin City” ALBA
53. Voice below soprano ALTO
54. Unit of resistance OHM
57. Desktop computer that inspired clones IBM PC
59. Rainy-day covers TARPS
63. Compulsive cleaner NEAT FREAK
65. “__ you to try it!” I DARE
66. Fad CRAZE
67. Place for pampering SPA
68. Israeli desert NEGEV
69. Voice an objection DEMUR
70. Skosh TAD
71. Lose it, and a hint to the last words of 18-, 27-, 48- and 63-Across GO APE

Down
1. Cartoon explorer with a cousin named Diego DORA
2. German automaker OPEL
3. Eurasian border river URAL
4. Rotten apple BAD EGG
5. Race track cry after “And” THEY’RE OFF!
6. Holmes’ confidant DR WATSON
7. Similar AKIN
8. Region bordering Croatia BOSNIA
9. Rinse or spin, e.g. CYCLE
10. Guffaw syllable HAR!
11. Obsessed fictional captain AHAB
12. Bonkers LOCO
13. Early cartoon clown KOKO
19. Lawman Wyatt EARP
24. Culinary author Rombauer IRMA
26. RR stop STA
27. “That’s disgusting!” GROSS!
28. Montana neighbor IDAHO
29. Ready to skinny-dip NAKED
30. Prestigious prize NOBEL
32. City in upstate New York UTICA
33. Asian menu assurance NO MSG
34. Cyberjotting ENOTE
37. Turning back to zero, as an odometer RESETTING
40. Smear campaign commercial ATTACK AD
41. Satirist Mort SAHL
44. Duracell size AAA
48. Shortened wd. ABBR
49. Least plausible LAMEST
50. Truckers’ competition ROADEO
52. Career soldier LIFER
54. One way to store pics ON CD
55. “Grab this” HERE
56. Title of respect MA’AM
58. Mama’s mate PAPA
60. Sitar music RAGA
61. Get ready for the OR PREP
62. Golfer Ballesteros SEVE
64. Shih __: Tibetan dog TZU

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