CROSSWORD SETTER: Martin Ashwood-Smith
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 11m 48s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. W. Coast force LAPD
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the third largest local law enforcement agency in the country, after New York PD and Chicago PD. Among other things, LAPD is famous for creating the first Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team in the US, in 1965.
15. “Superman” (1978) co-producer Salkind ILYA
Ilya Salkind is a Mexican film and television producer who is mainly associated with the “Superman” films of the seventies and eighties, along with his father Alexander Salkind. It was the Salkinds who cast the role of Superman, eventually choosing Christopher Reeve. Paul Newman and Robert Redford were both offered the part, and both declined. Sylvester Stallone really wanted to play Superman, but he was turned down by the producers. Other name considered were Muhammad Ali, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, James Caan, Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen.
16. Guacamole maker’s discard AVOCADO PIT
The wonderful avocado comes from a tree that is native to Mexico and Central America. The avocado fruit is sometime called an avocado pear, because of its shape, even though it is not related to the pear at all. The fruit might also be referred to as an alligator pear, due to the roughness of the green skin of some avocado cultivars.
Guacamole is one of my favorite dishes, and is made by mashing avocados and perhaps adding the likes of tomato, onion and lime juice. The guacamole recipe dates back as early as the 16th century, to the time of the Aztecs. “Guacamole” translates as “avocado sauce”.
19. Historic Greenwich Village club THE BITTER END
The Bitter End is a nightclub and coffeehouse in Greenwich Village in New York City. The club opened in 1961 and is still going strong, although it was renamed to The Other End for while during the seventies. Many, many famous comedians and musicians appeared at the Bitter End, especially early in their careers.
21. Ivanhoe, e.g. SAXON
Germanic tribes invaded Great Britain from the early 5th century and created the nation that we now call England. The Anglo-Saxons (sometimes simply “Saxons”), as these tribes came to be called, held sway in the country until 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest. The Anglo-Saxons were descendants of three Germanic tribes:
– The Angles, from Angeln in Northern Germany (and the tribe that gave the name “England”).
– The Saxons, from Lower Saxony and Holland.
– The Jutes, from the Jutland peninsula in Denmark.
“Ivanhoe” is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, set in 12th-century England. Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan fame) wrote a very successful operatic interpretation of the story that played for an unprecedented 155 consecutive performances after it opened in London in 1891. Sullivan asked his long-time collaborator W. S. Gilbert to supply the libretto for “Ivanhoe” but he declined. As “Ivanhoe” was a grand opera, he felt that the librettist’s role was too subordinate to that of the composer, and he preferred the more “equal” relationship afforded by their operetta projects.
22. Lao-__ TSE
Lao Tse (also Lao-Tzu) was a central figure in the development of the religion/philosophy of Taoism.
26. Volume One words, perhaps A TO
“A to B”, perhaps, or maybe “A to M”.
28. Blame RAP
A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.
39. Exercises in futility WILD-GOOSE CHASES
A “wild-goose chase” is a hopeless quest. It appears that it is yet another phrase that was coined by William Shakespeare. It first appears in print in “Romeo and Juliet” in a line spoken by Mercutio:
Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose chase, I have done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five.
40. Mortgagee’s calculation INTEREST PAYMENT
Our word “mortgage” comes from the Old French “mort gaige” which translated as “dead pledge”. The idea was that a pledge to repay a loan dies when the debt is cleared.
43. Waste no time HIE
“To hie” is to move quickly, to bolt.
44. Half-day exam given four times a yr. LSAT
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
50. Mil. trial N-TEST
Nuclear test (N-test)
57. Band with the 1986 #1 hit “Venus” BANANARAMA
Bananarama is a female singing group that formed in London in 1979. Their biggest hit was the 1986 hit “Venus” that topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. “Venus” was originally a number-one hit for the Dutch band Shocking Blue, back in 1969/1970.
60. Marquee time NITE
A marquee is a large sign that is placed over the entrance to a theater. The marquee usually displays the names of the film(s) or plays currently showing.
62. Old 442 rivals GTOS
The acronym GTO was used on several touring cars (including a famous Pontiac) and stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, which is an Italian phrase that translates as “Grand Touring Homologated”. Italian car manufacturers started the tradition of calling their luxury performance cars “Gran Turismo”, and calling those cars they approved for racing “Gran Turismo Omologato”. The phrase “gran turismo omologato” translates as “grand touring homologated”, with “homologated” being a technical term signifying official approval.
The Oldsmobile 442 is a so-called “muscle car”, one that was produced by GM from 1964 to 1980. The name “442” comes from the fact that the car has a four-barrel carburetor, a four-speed manual gearbox and dual exhaust.
64. Lacking SANS
In French, one can be with (avec) or without (sans).
Down
1. Joggers of a sort LISTS
A list can jog one’s mind.
3. Brand introduced by Corning in 1915 PYREX
Pyrex glassware is brand name owned by Corning. As well as being used in bakeware and laboratory glassware, Pyrex is often the material of choice for optics in large telescopes used in astronomy.
4. Certain prep schooler DAY BOARDER
A day boarder is a child who attends a boarding school, but doesn’t sleep there. He or she would take most meals at the school.
5. Caravel feature MAST
A caravel was a Portuguese ship that was small and very maneuverable. Caravels had triangular lateen-rigged sails which allowed them to sail quite close to the wind. Caravels were indeed quite small, only accommodating a crew of twenty or so sailors. Christopher Columbus’s Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria were all caravels.
6. British miler Steve OVETT
Steve Ovett is a retired British middle distance runner from England, a gold medal winner in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Ovett had a very public rivalry with fellow English Olympian Sebastian Coe.
7. Crams, with “up” BONES
The phrasal verb “to bone up” means “to study”, and is student slang that dates back to the 1880s. The term probably comes a series of books used by students back then called “Bohn’s Classical Library”.
11. Multitude HORDE
A “horde” is a large crowd. “Horde” ultimately derives from the Turkish “ordu” that means “camp, army”.
12. WWII cost-stabilizing agcy. OPA
President Franklin D. Roosevelt set up the Office of Price Administration (OPA) during WWII, with the intent of stabilizing prices and rents during the emergency.
13. Jack letters MIC
Microphone (mic)
A jack is a socket that accepts a plug, allowing a connection to some electrical circuit.
14. Time for les vacances ETE
In French, summer (été) is a common time to take vacation (vacances).
20. Former Acura model INTEGRA
Acura is a division of the Honda Motor Company, their luxury brand. As an aside, Infiniti is the equivalent luxury brand for the Nissan Motor Company, and Lexus is the more luxurious version of Toyota’s models.
27. Chiwere speakers OTOES
Chiwere is a Siouan language spoken by the Otoe people, as well as by the Missouria and Iowa.
31. __ gland: organ that secretes melatonin PINEAL
The pineal gland is a small gland located in the epithalamus, near the center of the brain. The gland gets its name from its shape, like a tiny pine cone. The pineal gland produces melatonin, a hormone that helps maintain our circadian rhythm, so varying levels of melatonin control our sleep-wake cycle.
33. Old West transport, in dialect HOSS
A cowboy might call his horse a “hoss”.
34. Historic Padua neighbor ESTE
The House of Este is a princely dynasty in Europe. The House of Hanover that ruled Britain from 1714 to 1901 (when Queen Victoria died) was perhaps the most notable branch of the House of Este. The House takes its name from the town of Este in the province of Padua in northern Italy.
The city of Padua is in northern Italy, not far from Venice. Padua has many claims to fame. Galileo was one of the lecturers at the University of Padua, for example. And, William Shakespeare chose the city as the setting for his play “The Taming of the Shrew”.
35. Passbook amts. DEPS
A passbook is a paper book used to record banking transactions, usually for a small savings account. The passbook is held by the owner of the account, and not by the bank. The first passbooks appeared in the 1700s, and the name “passbook” was given as the book was regularly passed between the bank and the account holder for updating.
37. DNA compound THYMINE
Nucleobases are molecules that form the backbone of DNA and RNA chains. It is the sequence of these bases in the DNA chain that makes up the so-called “genetic code”. In DNA the four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). The same bases are found in RNA, except that thymine is replaced by uracil (U).
38. Sessions involving steps AA MEETINGS
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935, by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio. As the organization grew, the guiding principles established by the founders were formatted into a 12-step program that was in place by the forties.
47. Pulitzer journalist Seymour HERSH
Seymour Hersh is an investigative journalist based in Washington D.C. Hersh was awarded the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for his 1969 exposé of the My Lai Massacre.
The My Lai Massacre took place in the Vietnamese village of that name in March, 1968. After an investigation it was determined that at least 347 unarmed civilians, mostly women, children and elderly people, were murdered by a unit of US soldiers. It was also revealed that gang rapes and torture took place during the massacre. At least three servicemen tried to halt the killing, but they were vastly outnumbered by those participating. About two years after the massacre, 26 men were charged with crimes, but only one man was convicted. William Calley was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment and hard labor. President Nixon stepped in the day after Calley was sentenced and ordered him transferred from Leavenworth prison and placed under house arrest pending appeal. On appeal the life sentence was reduced to 20 years, and this was further cut to 10 years as an act of clemency by the Secretary of the Army. Calley was released after serving three years in total.
51. “You Must Love Me” musical EVITA
“Evita” was the follow up musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out). “Evita” was made into a film in 1996, with Madonna playing the title role and Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce playing her husband Juan Perón.
53. Bobby pin target TRESS
A bobby pin is an unobtrusive hairclip. The clip became popular starting in 1899 with the introduction of the “bob cut”, hence the name “bobby pin”.
55. Jeanne __ D’ARC
Joan of Arc (also Jeanne d’Arc, her birth name) led the French Army successfully into battle a number of times during the Hundred Years War with England. When she was eventually captured, Joan was tried in Rouen, the seat of the occupying English government in France at that time. There she was burned at the stake having been found guilty of heresy. Joan of Arc was canonized some 600 years later, in 1920, and is now one of the patron saints of France.
57. Hardly big shots? BBS
A BB gun is an air pistol or rifle that shoots birdshot known as BBs. Birdshot comes in a number of different sizes, from size 9 (0.080″ in diameter) to size FF (.23″). 0.180″ diameter birdshot is size BB, which gives the airgun its name.
58. Klee contemporary 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 …
The artist Paul Klee was born in Switzerland, but studied art in Munich in Germany. You can see many of Klee’s works in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and if you get to Bern in Switzerland, even more of them can be seen at the Zentrum Paul Klee that was opened in 2005.
59. __ Valley: San Francisco area NOE
Noe Valley is a neighborhood in San Francisco. The area is named after José de Jesús Noé who was the last Mexican mayor of Yerba Buena, which is what San Francisco was called when it was part of Mexico.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. W. Coast force LAPD
5. Trailer MOBILE HOME
15. “Superman” (1978) co-producer Salkind ILYA
16. Guacamole maker’s discard AVOCADO PIT
17. Active SPRY
18. Struggle for a 23-Across SENATE RACE
19. Historic Greenwich Village club THE BITTER END
21. Ivanhoe, e.g. SAXON
22. Lao-__ TSE
23. Goal in an 18-Across SEAT
26. Volume One words, perhaps A TO
28. Blame RAP
30. Give an essentials-only account SPARE THE DETAILS
39. Exercises in futility WILD-GOOSE CHASES
40. Mortgagee’s calculation INTEREST PAYMENT
41. Group project feedback PEER ASSESSMENTS
42. Singer’s asset EAR
43. Waste no time HIE
44. Half-day exam given four times a yr. LSAT
47. Welcome words HIS
50. Mil. trial N-TEST
54. One at the end of the line WIDE RECEIVER
57. Band with the 1986 #1 hit “Venus” BANANARAMA
60. Marquee time NITE
61. Help in a stock exchange? BROKER’S TIP
62. Old 442 rivals GTOS
63. Fast-moving game SPEED CHESS
64. Lacking SANS
Down
1. Joggers of a sort LISTS
2. Top dog ALPHA
3. Brand introduced by Corning in 1915 PYREX
4. Certain prep schooler DAY BOARDER
5. Caravel feature MAST
6. British miler Steve OVETT
7. Crams, with “up” BONES
8. Comforting comment I CARE
9. Up-to-the-minute LATE
10. Wonderlands EDENS
11. Multitude HORDE
12. WWII cost-stabilizing agcy. OPA
13. Jack letters MIC
14. Time for les vacances ETE
20. Former Acura model INTEGRA
24. Gotten up ARISEN
25. Local __ TALENT
27. Chiwere speakers OTOES
29. Attention getters PSSTS
30. Take the wrong way? SWIPE
31. __ gland: organ that secretes melatonin PINEAL
32. Lets out, say ALTERS
33. Old West transport, in dialect HOSS
34. Historic Padua neighbor ESTE
35. Passbook amts. DEPS
36. Net funds ECASH
37. DNA compound THYMINE
38. Sessions involving steps AA MEETINGS
45. Up AWAKE
46. Like a rake TINED
47. Pulitzer journalist Seymour HERSH
48. Hot IRATE
49. They occur before finals SEMIS
51. “You Must Love Me” musical EVITA
52. Place atop SET ON
53. Bobby pin target TRESS
55. Jeanne __ D’ARC
56. Means of emphasis CAPS
57. Hardly big shots? BBS
58. Klee contemporary ARP
59. __ Valley: San Francisco area NOE