LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Nov 14, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Timothy L. Meaker
THEME: Nucleus First … each of today’s themed answers starts with a synonym of “nucleus”.

22A. Acid indigestion, familiarly HEARTBURN
38A. Auto wheel covers HUBCAPS
51A. Go-between MIDDLEMAN
3D. Stripe that equally divides the road CENTERLINE
30D. Early computer data storage term CORE MEMORY

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 5m 45s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Physicist for whom a speed-of-sound ratio is named MACH
The Mach number of a moving object (like say an airplane) is it’s speed relative to the speed of sound. A plane travelling at Mach 2, for example, is moving at twice the speed of sound. The term “Mach” takes its name from the Austrian physicist Ernst Mach who published a groundbreaking paper in 1877 that even predicted the “sonic boom”.

10. Post-WWII commerce agreement acronym GATT
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was laid down in 1949, a compromise solution reached by participating governments after they failed in their goal to establish the International Trade Organization. Finally in 1995, a similar organization was formed and the World Trade Organization (WTO) effectively succeeded GATT.

14. Toast topping OLEO
Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France announced a competition to develop a substitute for butter, a substitute that would be more accessible to the lower classes and more practical for the armed forces. In 1869, a French chemist called Hippolyte Mege-Mouries came up with something that he called oleomargarine, which was eventually manufactured under the trade name “margarine”. The name “oleomargarine” also gives us our generic term “oleo”.

16. Eight, in Tijuana OCHO
Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.

20. Book spine info TITLE
In the US, the convention is to write the title on the spine of a book from top-to-bottom. In most of Europe, the convention is to write the title from bottom-to-top. We have a lot of books in the “library” in our house from both sides of the Atlantic, and so there is much moving of the head from left to right as we glance along our bookshelves.

24. Snigglers’ catch EELS
A sniggler is a person who angles for eels (as is an “eeler”). The term comes from “snig”, a young eel, which in turn is probably related to Old English “snegge” meaning “snail”.

28. San Francisco transport CABLE CAR
San Francisco is home to the world’s only surviving manually operated cable car system. At its height, the system comprised twenty-three lines, but only three are in use today. Most people riding the cable cars are now tourists. The cable cars are pulled along by a network of four huge cables that are in constant motion below the street. Each car has a grip below it that a driver can use to grab onto and let go of the moving cable.

34. Ottoman governors BEYS
Bey is a Turkish title for a chieftain. In the days of the Ottoman Empire, the term “bey” was used for many different officials, but traditionally it referred to the leader of a small tribal group. Today “bey” is used very much like “mister”.

41. Henry or Jane of “On Golden Pond” FONDA
Actor Henry Fonda had already started his Hollywood career when along came WWII. Fonda enlisted in the Navy, and served for three years on the destroyer USS Satterlee. Then he served as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in Air Combat Intelligence in the Pacific, earning the Bronze Star.

Jane Fonda is the daughter of Henry Fonda, sister of Peter Fonda, and aunt of Bridget Fonda, making the Fondas quite the acting family. Jane Fonda had many memorable screen performances, but is equally memorable for her anti-war activism. Most famously she was outspoken against the Vietnam War, going so far as to visit North Vietnam during the height of the conflict in 1972, posing for photographs and making radio broadcasts denouncing American leaders as “war criminals”. For her stance, Fonda earned the nickname “Hanoi Jane”.

“On Golden Pond” was originally a play, written by Ernest Thompson. It was adapted into the famous movie in 1981, with Henry Fonda playing Norman Thayer, and Katherine Hepburn as his wife Ethel. There was also a television adaptation of the play released in 2001, with another distinguished cast that included Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer as the leads.

43. Kal Kan alternative ALPO
Alpo is a brand of dog food first produced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

The brand name “Whiskas” has been used for cat food since 1988, but the product itself has been made in McLean, Virginia since 1936. For decades it was sold under the name “Kal Kan”.

49. NRC predecessor AEC
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up right after WWII in 1946, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. Establishing the AEC was a significant move made by President Truman, as it passed control of atomic energy from the military to the civilian sector. The AEC continued to operate until 1974 when its functions were divided up into two new agencies: the Energy Research and Development Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

50. Scotch __ TAPE
Scotch Tape is a brand of adhesive tape made by 3M. “Scotch Tape” is one of those brand names that has become so used widely that it has become a generic term for the product. The equivalent brand name of product that we use over in Ireland is Sellotape. This British brand also has become a generic term, and is our equivalent to “Scotch tape”.

60. Mesozoic and Paleozoic ERAS
The Mesozoic Era is also known as the Age of the Dinosaurs, as most dinosaurs developed during that time and the Era ended with the extinction of all dinosaur species (except the avian species, which developed into our modern birds). The Mesozoic Era started with another cataclysmic event, the so called “Great Dying”, the largest mass extinction in the history of our planet. During the “Great Dying” over 90% of all marine species and 70% of all terrestrial vertebrate species died off.

The Paleozoic Era (with “Paleozoic” meaning “ancient life”) was a geologic era from roughly 542 to 251 million years ago. Notably in the Paleozoic Era, fish populations thrived and vast forests of primitive plants covered the land. Those forests were the source material for the coal which we dig out of the ground now in Europe and the eastern parts of North America. At end of the Paleozoic Era was the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth, killing off 96% of all marine species, and 70% of all terrestrial vertebrates. Causes of the extinction have been suggested, with one hypothesis being gradually accelerating climate change (scary!).

63. Four-legged Oz visitor TOTO
Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”. Toto was played by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life, due to the success of the film.

65. Pacific, for one OCEAN
The Pacific Ocean was given its name by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. When Magellan sailed into the ocean on his 1521 circumnavigation of the globe, he encountered favorable winds and so called it “Mar Pacifico” meaning “peaceful sea”.

66. Russia’s __ Mountains URAL
The eastern side of the Ural Mountains in Russia is generally regarded as the natural divide between the continents of Europe and Asia.

67. “Puppy Love” singer Paul ANKA
“Puppy Love” is a song written and recorded by Paul Anka in 1960. He wrote the song for his girlfriend at the time, the actress and singer Annette Funicello. “Puppy Love” was covered by Donny Osmond who had a big hit with it in 1972.

69. War journalist Ernie PYLE
Ernie Pyle was a journalist, truly a roving reporter, never happy unless he was filing stories from some remote part of the country or some far-flung corner of the globe. Pyle was noted for his intimate style of reporting, emphasizing the human element of the story. His reports written during WWII in Europe, stressing the experiences of soldiers in the front lines, won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. After Germany surrendered he decided to follow the war in the Pacific. One day towards the end of the war, Pyle was traveling in a jeep on the island of le Shima in the Okinawa Islands when he was hit by enemy machine gun fire and was killed. Pyle was one of very few civilians killed during WWII who was awarded the Purple Heart.

Down
1. Satirist Sahl MORT
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.

2. Jai __ ALAI
Even though jai alai is often said to be the fastest sport in the world because of the speed of the ball, in fact golf balls usually get going at a greater clip. Although, as a blog reader once pointed out to me, you don’t have to catch a golf ball …

5. Tax season VIP CPA
Certified public accountant (CPA)

6. Mascara target LASH
“Mascara” is a Spanish word meaning “stain, mask”.

8. Actress Sorvino MIRA
Mira Sorvino is an American actress, winner of an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1995 Woody Allen movie “Mighty Aphrodite”. Sorvino also played a title role opposite Lisa Kudrow in the very forgettable “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”.

9. Sacred Egyptian beetle SCARAB
Scarabs were amulets in ancient Egypt. Scarabs were modelled on the dung beetle, as it was viewed as a symbol of the cycle of life.

10. Male turkey GOBBLER
A male turkey is called a tom or a gobbler. Female turkeys are hens, and baby turkeys are called poults.

11. Rights org. 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.

12. Son of Odin THOR
In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. Odin’s wife Frigg was the queen of Asgard whose name gave us our English term “Friday” (via Anglo-Saxon). Odin’s son was Thor, and his name gave us the term “Thursday”. Odin himself gave us our word “Wednesday”, from “Wodin”, the English form of his name.

13. Chrysler __ & Country TOWN
Chrysler’s Town & Country is a minivan that was first introduced in 1990.

21. Nightmare street of film ELM
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a Wes Craven slasher-horror film, released in 1984. As I don’t do “slasher” nor “horror” I learned from crosswords that Johnny Depp was in the movie, making his feature film debut. The Elm Street in the title is located in the fictional Springwood, Ohio.

23. Mah-jongg pieces TILES
“Mahjong” (also mahjongg and mah-jongg) is the Chinese word for “sparrow”. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, and is usually played by four players. There is a myth that the game was developed by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The myth also suggests that Confucius was fond of birds, and hence chose the name “sparrow”.

25. “Elephant Boy” actor SABU
The 1937 British film “Elephant Boy” starred a young Indian elephant driver called Sabu Dastagir. Sabu (he was often known just by the one name) made more British films over the next few years, including “The Thief of Baghdad” in 1940 and the 1942 version of “The Jungle book”. Sabu moved to Hollywood and became a US citizen in 1944. He joined the US Army Air Forces and served as a tail gunner in the Pacific, eventually winning the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor and bravery. Sadly, in 1963 Sabu died of a heart attack at only 39 years of age.

29. Manager’s “Now!” ASAP
As soon as possible (ASAP)

30. Early computer data storage term CORE MEMORY
Magnetic-core memory was a type of memory used in computing from 1955 to about 1975. A core memory device consisted of tiny magnetic rings (the cores) through which were threaded wires. The wires were used to magnetize the cores in either a clockwise and anticlockwise direction, hence giving each core a value of either “one” or “zero”.

33. Physically fit BUFF
Something that is “buffed” is polished, made attractive. This gives us the adjective “buff” meaning “physically attractive”.

35. Israeli diplomat Abba EBAN
Abba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician, born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban in Cape Town, South Africa. While working at the United Nations after WWII, Eban changed his given name to “Abba”, the Hebrew word for “father”. He made this change as reportedly as he could see himself as the father of the nation of Israel.

39. Blog update POST
Many folks who visit this website regard it as just that, a website. That is true, but more correctly it is referred to as a blog, as I make regular posts (actually daily posts) which then occupy the “front page” of the site. The blog entries are in reverse chronological order, and one can just look back day-by-day, reading older and older posts. Blog is a contraction of the term “web log”.

42. Scrolls source DEAD SEA
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered over a period of years, between 1947 and 1956, in eleven caves on the shores of the Dead Sea. The scrolls are believed to have been written by an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, although this has been called into question recently. Many of the texts are copies of writings from the Hebrew Bible.

46. Spotted wildcat OCELOT
The ocelot is found mainly in South and Central America, although there have been sightings as far north as Arkansas. An ocelot doesn’t look too different from a domestic cat, and some have been kept as pets. Perhaps most famously, Salvador Dali had one that he carried around everywhere with him.

48. Hightail it LAM
To be “on the lam” is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

52. Golfer’s choice IRON
Most of the irons in a golf bag had non-numerical names in days gone by:

– 2 Iron … Cleek
– 3 Iron … Mid Mashie
– 4 Iron … Mashie Iron
– 5 Iron … Mashie
– 6 Iron … Spade Mashie
– 7 Iron … Mashie Niblick
– 8 Iron … Pitching Niblick
– 9 Iron … Niblick

53. Unpleasantly moist DANK
“Dank” is such a lovely word, now largely superseded by another nice word “damp”. It is thought that “dank” came into English from Scandinavia some time before the 14th century. The modern Swedish word “dank” means “moist place”.

54. Medieval spiked club MACE
A mace is a relatively simple weapon in essence, a heavy weight on the end of a handle that is used to deliver powerful blows on an opponent’s body.

55. Prayer finish AMEN
The word “amen” is translated as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is likely to be also influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

58. And others: Lat. ET AL
Et alii (et al.) is the equivalent of et cetera (etc.), with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names. In fact “et al.” can stand for et alii (for a group of males, or males and females), aliae (for a group of women) and et alia (for a group of neuter nouns, or for a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

59. Clinton’s 1996 opponent DOLE
Despite all Bob Dole’s success in the world of politics, he is remembered by many as the VP candidate who lost to Walter Mondale (and Jimmy Carter) and the presidential candidate who lost to incumbent Bill Clinton. The man is a true war hero. He joined up in 1942 and fought with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division in Italy. In 1945 he was hit by machine gun fire in his right arm and back Dole was so badly injured that his comrades could only dose him up with morphine, write “M” on his forehead with his own blood (so that another, fatal dose of morphine would not be administered) and continue fighting the battle. Dole had to wait nine hours to be evacuated from the battlefield, and wait another three years before being discharged from hospital back in the States.

62. BP checkers RNS
A registered nurse (RN) might check one’s blood pressure (BP).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Physicist for whom a speed-of-sound ratio is named MACH
5. Steamers in a pot CLAMS
10. Post-WWII commerce agreement acronym GATT
14. Toast topping OLEO
15. Lose one’s cool PANIC
16. Eight, in Tijuana OCHO
17. __ and rave RANT
18. Stars, in Latin ASTRA
19. What winds do BLOW
20. Book spine info TITLE
22. Acid indigestion, familiarly HEARTBURN
24. Snigglers’ catch EELS
26. Not feel well AIL
27. Serious play DRAMA
28. San Francisco transport CABLE CAR
33. Daring BOLD
34. Ottoman governors BEYS
36. Chip away at ERODE
37. Prefix with lateral UNI-
38. Auto wheel covers HUBCAPS
40. Fishing tool ROD
41. Henry or Jane of “On Golden Pond” FONDA
43. Kal Kan alternative ALPO
44. 0 ZERO
45. Area where goods may be stored without customs payments FREE ZONE
47. Oozy stuff SLIME
49. NRC predecessor AEC
50. Scotch __ TAPE
51. Go-between MIDDLEMAN
57. Performed without words MIMED
60. Mesozoic and Paleozoic ERAS
61. More pathetic, as an excuse LAMER
63. Four-legged Oz visitor TOTO
64. No longer here GONE
65. Pacific, for one OCEAN
66. Russia’s __ Mountains URAL
67. “Puppy Love” singer Paul ANKA
68. Campground sights TENTS
69. War journalist Ernie PYLE

Down
1. Satirist Sahl MORT
2. Jai __ ALAI
3. Stripe that equally divides the road CENTERLINE
4. Detective’s breakthrough HOT LEAD
5. Tax season VIP CPA
6. Mascara target LASH
7. Start the poker pot ANTE
8. Actress Sorvino MIRA
9. Sacred Egyptian beetle SCARAB
10. Male turkey GOBBLER
11. Rights org. ACLU
12. Son of Odin THOR
13. Chrysler __ & Country TOWN
21. Nightmare street of film ELM
23. Mah-jongg pieces TILES
25. “Elephant Boy” actor SABU
27. Blood bank participant DONOR
28. Washer phase CYCLE
29. Manager’s “Now!” ASAP
30. Early computer data storage term CORE MEMORY
31. Be wild about ADORE
32. Update, as a kitchen REDO
33. Physically fit BUFF
35. Israeli diplomat Abba EBAN
38. Brownish-green eye color HAZEL
39. Blog update POST
42. Scrolls source DEAD SEA
44. “Pipe down!” ZIP IT UP!
46. Spotted wildcat OCELOT
48. Hightail it LAM
51. Million: Pref. MEGA-
52. Golfer’s choice IRON
53. Unpleasantly moist DANK
54. Medieval spiked club MACE
55. Prayer finish AMEN
56. “No ice, please” NEAT
58. And others: Lat. ET AL
59. Clinton’s 1996 opponent DOLE
62. BP checkers RNS

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6 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Nov 14, Monday”

  1. Yes – good quick Monday puzzle.

    For 8 in Tijuana, I wanted to put "tequila shots", but it didn't fit….

    Are there people who actually go fishing specifically for eels?

    Happy Monday –

  2. @Jeff – The fewer eel fisherman out there the Moray for me (or as we used to sing on the boat headed out for some recreational diving) –

    "When an eel lunges out and it bites off your snout – that's a Moray!"

  3. When I was younger and learning golf from my grandfather, he routinely instructed me to take out the "hand mashie." In other words, just pick it up and put it where you want it. 😉

    Is there a name for the 1-iron? Golf lore says only two people can hit the 1-iron: God and Jack Nicklaus.

  4. Tony – I've stolen your eel jokes and spread them around shamelessly.

    Willie – I think Lee Trevino was walking into the clubhouse due to a thunderstorm. He raised his 1 iron for protection from lightning, and as he walked as he said to bewildered followers "I'm not worried. Even God can't hit a 1 iron.."

    That's how I heard it anyway…

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