LA Times Crossword Answers 23 Jan 15, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Sam Buchbinder
THEME: Midas-Touched … each of today’s themed answers is a common phrase that has the letter-sequence AU inserted. “Au” is the chemical symbol for gold, so we might say that our answers have had “the Midas touch”.

34A. Mythological figure who touched 16-, 23-, 46- and 55-Across? KING MIDAS

16A. Striking painting of paddles, net and ball? PING-PONG TABLEAU (from “ping-pong table”)
23A. Extraordinary northern bird? SPECIAL AUK (from “Special K”)
46A. Alaskan insects? JUNEAU BUGS (from “June bugs”)
55A. Overdevelop a high plain? CROWD THE PLATEAU (from “crowd the plate”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 9m 08s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. “Mad Men” productions ADS
“Mad Men” is the flagship show on the AMC television channel. Set in the sixties, it’s all about an advertising agency located on Madison Avenue in New York (hence the title). “Mad Men” became the first show created by a basic cable channel to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

15. Powerful dept.? ENER
The US Department of Energy (DOE) came into being largely as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. The DOE was founded in 1977 by the Carter administration. The DOE is responsible for regulating the production of nuclear power, and it is also responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons.

16. Striking painting of paddles, net and ball? PING-PONG TABLEAU (from “ping-pong table”)
Ping-pong is called table tennis in the UK, where the sport originated in the 1880s. Table tennis started as an after-dinner activity among the elite, and was called “wiff-waff”. To play the game, books were stacked in the center of a table as a “net”, two more books served as “”rackets” and the ball used was actually a golf ball. The game evolved over time with the rackets being upgraded to the lids of cigar boxes and the ball becoming a champagne cork (how snooty is that?). Eventually the game was produced commercially, and the sound of the ball hitting the racket was deemed to be a “ping” and a “pong”, giving the sport its alternative name.

19. Uber VERY
“Uber” is the German word for “over”.

21. Truncation abbr. ETC
The abbreviation “etc.” stands for “et cetera”, which is Latin for “and the others”.

22. Austin of “Knots Landing” TERI
Teri Austin is a Canadian-American actress who played the villainous Jill Bennett on the show “Knots Landing”. Austin retired from acting in 2000 and now devotes much of her time as an animal activist in Los Angeles.

“Knots Landing” is a primetime soap opera that originally aired from 1979 until 1993. A spinoff of the hit show “Dallas”, “Knots Landing” is set in Los Angeles. The main character linking the two shows in Gary Ewing, the black sheep of the Ewing family and the younger brother of J.R. Ewing.

23. Extraordinary northern bird? SPECIAL AUK (from “Special K”)
Auks are penguin-like sea birds that live in colder northern waters including the Arctic. Like penguins, auks are great swimmers, but unlike penguins, auks can fly.

We’ve been eating Special K since 1956. You’ve got to give credit to the marketing folks at Kelloggs as I am sure we all view special K as a diet breakfast cereal. In fact, there is more fat in Special K than Kelloggs Corn Flakes, and just one less calorie per serving.

26. Statistician’s challenge BIG DATA
Really large and complex sets of data that require special handling and processing are referred to as “big data”.

28. Plot component ACRE
At one time, an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. This was more precisely defined as a strip of land “one furrow long” (i.e. one furlong) and one furlong wide. The length of one furlong was equal to 10 chains, or 40 rods. A area of one furlong times 10 rods was one rood.

32. Purim heroine ESTHER
Purim is a festival commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to wipe them out by Haman the Agagite, as recorded in the Book of Esther. During the celebration of Purim, the Book of Esther (or Megillah) is read aloud, once in the evening and once the following morning. By the way, Esther is the only book in the Old Testament that doesn’t mention the word “God”.

34. Mythological figure who touched 16-, 23-, 46- and 55-Across? KING MIDAS
King Midas of Greek mythology might be termed an alchemist as he had the power to turn everything he touched into gold i.e. the Midas touch. Of course the power that he was given became be a curse, as everything he touched turned to gold, including his food and drink, and even his children.

39. Anthony Hopkins’ “Thor” role ODIN
Thor is a superhero who was introduced to us by Marvel Comics in 1962. The character is of course based on the Norse god Thor, and comes complete with a magical hammer. Like so many comic book heroes it seems, Thor has made it to the big screen. Actor Chris Hemsworth played the role in the 2011 film “Thor” directed by the great Kenneth Branagh. Branagh must have needed the cash. Thor’s father Odin is played by Anthony Hopkins. He must have needed the cash too …

40. Channel for old films TCM
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is one of my favorite television channels, delivering just what its name promises: classic movies.

43. Noodle BEAN
“Noodle” and “bean” are slang terms for the head.

46. Alaskan insects? JUNEAU BUGS (from “June bugs”)
Given that it’s the capital of the vast state of Alaska, it is perhaps not surprising to learn that the municipality of Juneau is almost as big as the area of the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, and yet has only a population of about 31,000 people! Juneau is also unique as a capital city in the US in that it has no direct road connection to the rest of the state, nor to the rest of North America. If you want to drive your car to Juneau, you need to use a car ferry.

June bugs are beetles that have a life cycle of about a year. Females lay eggs in mid-summer, which hatch in about 18 days. This appearance around about June led to the name “June bug”.

51. Chief Justice Warren EARL
Earl Warren served as Governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as US Chief Justice from 1953 until 1969. Earlier in his career, Warren served as district attorney for Alameda County in California, where I happen to be right now writing this post. Warren lent his name to the Warren Commission that he chaired, which investigated the assassination of President Kennedy.

52. Subjects of some conspiracy theories ETS
Extraterrestrial (ET)

In 1952, the USAF revived its studies of reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in a program called Project Blue Book. Project Blue Book ran from 1952 until it was shut down in 1969 with the conclusion that there was no threat to national security and that there were no sightings that could not be explained within the bounds of modern scientific knowledge.

53. Specks on cartes ILES
In French, islands (îles) are dots on maps (cartes).

55. Overdevelop a high plain? CROWD THE PLATEAU (from “crowd the plate”)
In baseball, a batter is said to “crowd the plate” when he or she leans in and adopts a stance that gets close to the strike zone.

61. “I shall be late!” speaker of fiction RABBIT
The White Rabbit is a character who appears at the very start of Lewis Carroll’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. Alice sees the White Rabbit checking his watch and mumbling “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!” Alice then follows him down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland.

62. Letter director ZIP
ZIP codes were introduced in 1963. The acronym “ZIP” stands for Zone Improvement Plan, a name indicating that mail travels more efficiently when the codes are included in the postal address.

64. Indo-__ languages ARYAN
The Indo-Aryans are a collection of peoples that speak languages that share the same linguistic roots, traced back to the ancient Indo-Iranian peoples. Included in the Indo-Aryan group of peoples are the Bengali people, the Gurkhas, the Kashmiri people and the Punjabi people.

65. Nixon has two ENS
There are two letters N (ens) in the name “Nixon”.

Down
1. Angry Birds, e.g. APP
Angry Birds is a video game that was developed for smartphones. Angry Birds is the third most downloaded game, after Tetris and Pac-Man.

2. “Happy Days” setting DRIVE-IN
Much of the show “Happy Days” was set in Arnold’s Drive-In. Arnold Takahashi was played by Pat Morita, who also played Mr Miyagi in the movie “The Karate Kid”.

“Happy Days” is a hilarious ABC show that aired originally for ten years starting in 1974. The show was so successful that it spawned a three spin-offs: “Laverne & Shirley”, “Mork & Mindy”, and “Joanie Loves Chachi”. And, there is even a stage musical version of the show.

4. “Dexter” airer, for short SHO
“Dexter” is a crime show that airs on Showtime. The title character works for the Miami Police Department as an expert in blood spatter patterns by day, but is a serial killer by night. The original series was based on the “Dexter” novels written by Jeff Lindsay. I haven’t seen this show myself, but my eldest son really enjoys it …

6. Scout rank EAGLE
The rank of Eagle Scout was introduced by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 1911. A candidate for Eagle Scout must have first earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, and demonstrate leadership skills and embrace Scout Spirit. Prior to 1911, the highest rank attainable in the BSA was Wolf Scout.

8. Uniform material KHAKI
“Khaki” is an Urdu word, translating literally as “dusty”. The word was adopted for its current use as the name of a fabric by the British cavalry in India in the mid-1800s.

9. Sprinkling on French fries? SEL
In French, one might season one’s food with salt (sel) and pepper (poivre).

“French fries” are called “chips” back in the British Isles where I grew up. In France, they’re called “pommes frites” (“fried potatoes”).

14. One of a pair of Mad adversaries SPY
“Spy vs. Spy” is a comic strip that has run in “Mad” magazine continuously since 1961. It was drawn by Antonio Prohias, a refugee from Cuba, until his retirement. The early storyline was very fitting for the times, a statement about the futility of the arms race, detente and the Cold War.

18. Arthur of “The Golden Girls” BEA
Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

22. Sched. uncertainty TBA
To be advised (TBA)

25. Rowing beneficiaries, for short LATS
The muscles known as the “lats” are the latissimi dorsi, the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is the Latin for “broadest” and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.

27. Z-zebra link AS IN
Z as in zebra.

31. Dashboard Confessional’s genre EMO
Dashboard Confessional is an emo band from Boca Raton, Florida.

33. Without SANS
In French, one can be with (avec) or without (sans).

34. Rosebud’s owner KANE
A central plot line in the 1941 movie “Citizen Kane” is a newsreel reporter’s quest to find the meaning of the dying word spoken by the title character: “Rosebud”. Spoiler Alert … it is revealed at the end of the movie that “Rosebud” is the name of the sled used by Kane in his childhood, the only period in which he was really happy.

38. Fictional pilot with the iconic line, “Laugh it up, fuzzball” HAN SOLO
Han Solo is the space smuggler in “Star Wars” played by Harrison Ford. Ford was originally hired by George Lucas just to read lines for actors during auditions for “Star Wars”, but over time Lucas became convinced that Ford was right for the pivotal role of Han Solo.

42. “The Producers” screenwriter Brooks MEL
Mel Brooks’ real name is Melvin Kaminsky. Brooks is one of very few entertainers (there are only ten) who has won the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam” i.e. an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy. He is in good company, as the list also includes the likes of Richard Rogers, Sir John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch and Audrey Hepburn.

“The Producers” is a 1968 satirical movie written and directed by Mel Brooks, the first film he ever directed. Brooks adapted the movie into a hugely successful Broadway musical that won a record 12 Tony Awards. The original leads in the stage show, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, then appeared in a 2005 movie adaptation of the musical version of the original film!

49. “The View” alum Joy BEHAR
Joy Behar is a comedian, and former co-host of the hit talk show “The View”. Behar was one of the original co-hosts of “The View”, and stayed with the show from 1997 until 2013.

56. 18th Amendment opposer WET
A “wet” is someone who supports legislation allowing the production and sale of alcoholic drinks.

There were concerted efforts to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages in the US from the 1840s right up until the lobbyists achieved success with ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1919. While there were several factors that influenced legislators at that time, one was the perceived need to take political power away from German-based brewing industry during WWI.

57. Cops’ org. PBA
The name Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) is used by several unions representing police officers.

58. Harvard grad Jeremy who’s now a Laker LIN
Jeremy Lin is a professional basketball player who was raised in the city of Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lin is the first American of Chinese descent to play in the NBA.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Mad Men” productions ADS
4. Bark elicitor SPEAK
9. Lax SOFT
13. Force (open) PRY
14. Close-fitting dress SHEATH
15. Powerful dept.? ENER
16. Striking painting of paddles, net and ball? PING-PONG TABLEAU (from “ping-pong table”)
19. Uber VERY
20. Facebook button LIKE
21. Truncation abbr. ETC
22. Austin of “Knots Landing” TERI
23. Extraordinary northern bird? SPECIAL AUK (from “Special K”)
26. Statistician’s challenge BIG DATA
28. Plot component ACRE
29. “__ thoughts?” ANY
30. Reasonable SANE
32. Purim heroine ESTHER
34. Mythological figure who touched 16-, 23-, 46- and 55-Across? KING MIDAS
36. Available ON HAND
39. Anthony Hopkins’ “Thor” role ODIN
40. Channel for old films TCM
43. Noodle BEAN
44. “I’m not kidding!” IT’S TRUE!
46. Alaskan insects? JUNEAU BUGS (from “June bugs”)
51. Chief Justice Warren EARL
52. Subjects of some conspiracy theories ETS
53. Specks on cartes ILES
54. Enthralled RAPT
55. Overdevelop a high plain? CROWD THE PLATEAU (from “crowd the plate”)
60. It may be cautionary TALE
61. “I shall be late!” speaker of fiction RABBIT
62. Letter director ZIP
63. Narrow opening SLOT
64. Indo-__ languages ARYAN
65. Nixon has two ENS

Down
1. Angry Birds, e.g. APP
2. “Happy Days” setting DRIVE-IN
3. Cooperative action SYNERGY
4. “Dexter” airer, for short SHO
5. Write PEN
6. Scout rank EAGLE
7. Top story ATTIC
8. Uniform material KHAKI
9. Sprinkling on French fries? SEL
10. Free sample limitation ONE EACH
11. Top story FEATURE
12. Cab driver? TRUCKER
14. One of a pair of Mad adversaries SPY
17. Off the __ GRID
18. Arthur of “The Golden Girls” BEA
22. Sched. uncertainty TBA
23. Witness __ STAND
24. Sharp feeling PANG
25. Rowing beneficiaries, for short LATS
27. Z-zebra link AS IN
31. Dashboard Confessional’s genre EMO
32. Changes, in a way EDITS
33. Without SANS
34. Rosebud’s owner KANE
35. “Cool, man!” I DIG!
36. Things OBJECTS
37. __ color NEUTRAL
38. Fictional pilot with the iconic line, “Laugh it up, fuzzball” HAN SOLO
40. Circus staple TRAPEZE
41. Sun block CURTAIN
42. “The Producers” screenwriter Brooks MEL
45. Milk dispenser TEAT
47. Help AID
48. Uber ULTRA
49. “The View” alum Joy BEHAR
50. Milk carton words USE BY
54. Snitch RAT
56. 18th Amendment opposer WET
57. Cops’ org. PBA
58. Harvard grad Jeremy who’s now a Laker LIN
59. Rises UPS

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