LA Times Crossword Answers 28 Jan 15, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jeffrey Wechsler
THEME: Outer Edge … each of today’s themed answers has the letter sequence E-D-G-E at the periphery, at the outer edges:

54A. Periphery … and, literally, the periphery of 17-, 27- and 41-Across OUTER EDGE

17A. Fraternal meeting place ELKS LODGE
27A. “The Cask of Amontillado” writer EDGAR ALLAN POE
41A. Where to read candidate endorsements EDITORIAL PAGE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 8m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Help for Holmes CLUE
The celebrated phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” has firmly established itself in our psyche it seems, and is a relatively common “quotation”. However, the line does not appear in any of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. That said, the line does appear in the 1929 screenplay for the film “The Return of Sherlock Holmes” starring Basil Rathbone in the title role.

9. Baby food, usually PUREE
A “purée” is a food that has been made smooth by straining or blending. “Purée” is a French term, which I believe is now used to mean “pea soup” (more completely written as “purée de pois”). The French verb “purer” means “to strain, clean”, from the Latin “purare” meaning “to purify, clean”.

15. Bass’ red triangle, e.g. LOGO
The red triangle on the label of a bottle of Bass Ale was registered in 1875 and is UK Registered Trade Mark (TM) No: 00001, the first trade mark issued in the world.

16. Dove rival 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.

17. Fraternal meeting place ELKS LODGE
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was founded in 1868, and is a social club that has about a million members today. It started out as a group of men getting together in a “club” in order to get around the legal opening hours of taverns in New York City. The club took on a new role as it started to look out for poor families of members who passed away. The club now accepts African Americans as members (since the seventies) and women (since the nineties), but atheists still aren’t welcome.

20. “Here are the facts,” briefly FYI
For your information (fyi)

21. Garden outcast EVE
In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, against the bidding of God. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

23. Central church area NAVE
In large Christian churches, the nave is the main approach to the altar, where most of the congregation are seated.

25. Pacific Northwest capital SALEM
Salem is the state capital of Oregon. It is thought that the city takes its name from the older city of Salem, Massachusetts.

27. “The Cask of Amontillado” writer EDGAR ALLAN POE
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe that was first published in 1846. The story tells of a vengeful man who lures his enemy into the catacombs, locks him in chains and then traps him in a niche by sealing it with a brick wall. Nice man …

32. Track tipsters TOUTS
A “tout” (mainly in the British Isles) is someone who checks out racehorses and sell information gained to people placing bets.

33. Train cos. RRS
A railroad (RR) is a train company (co.)

35. Yankee nickname since 2004 A-ROD
Professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez earned more nicknames than just A-Rod. He has been called “the Cooler” by some players as there is a perception that teams go cold when he joins them and hot when he leaves. He has also been called “A-Fraud” by teammates because of another perception, that he is over-demanding. Rodriguez now seems to be in a world of hurt for using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

37. Nemesis BANE
Today we tend to use the word “bane” to mean anathema, a source of persistent annoyance. A few centuries ago, a bane was a cause of harm or death, perhaps a deadly poison.

Nemesis was a Greek goddess, the goddess of retribution. Her role was to make pay those individuals who were either haughty or arrogant. In modern parlance, one’s nemesis is one’s sworn enemy, often someone who is the exact opposite in character but someone who still shares some important characteristics. A nemesis is often someone one cannot seem to beat in competition.

40. Golfer Palmer, to fans ARNIE
Arnold Palmer is one of the greats of the world of golf. Palmer is very popular with many fans of the game, and his followers are usually referred to as “Arnie’s Army”.

46. Yemenis’ neighbors SAUDIS
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country in the Middle East and is the world’s largest oil producer, home to the world’s largest oil reserves. The Saudi dynasty started in central Arabia in 1744 when the secular leader Muhammad ibn Saud joined forces with the Islamic scholar and Imam, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab. At the time, Saud was a ruler of a town near Riyadh and he was determined to bring “true” Islam to the Arabian peninsula. Since 1744 the fortunes of the Saudi family have risen and fallen, but it is that same family who rules what we know today as Saudi Arabia.

50. NASA thumbs-up A-OK
Our term “A-OK” is supposedly an abbreviation for “A(ll systems are) OK”, and arose in the sixties during the Space Program.

53. Acme’s opposite NADIR
The nadir is the direction pointing immediately below a particular location (through to the other side of the Earth for example). The opposite direction, that pointing immediately above, is called the zenith.

58. Scott Turow memoir ONE L
“One L” is a name used in general for first year law students.

Scott Turow is an author and lawyer from Chicago. Turow has had several bestselling novels including “Presumed Innocent”, “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors”, all three of which were made into films. He also wrote the autobiographical book “One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School”.

59. Vulcan mind __: Spock’s skill MELD
Mr. Spock was the first to show us the Vulcan mind meld, on the original “Star Trek” series. Vulcans have the ability to meld with the minds of other Vulcans, and indeed humans, in order to see what what’s “going on” in the other individual’s mind.

60. Principle TENET
A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “he holds”.

61. Superstorm response org. FEMA
Federal emergency management has been structured for over 200 years, but what we know today as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created in 1979 in an Executive Order issued by President Jimmy Carter.

Down
1. “Cutthroat Kitchen” competitor CHEF
“Cutthroat Kitchen” is a reality television show that airs on Food Network. It’s all about four chefs competing to cook the best gourmet dishes for a celebrity judge.

4. Aliens, briefly ETS
Extraterrestrial (ET)

7. Fabergé creation EGG
Fabergé eggs are beautiful jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. The tradition of fabricating the eggs started when Tsar Alexander III commissioned Fabergé to create a jeweled egg for his wife in 1885. After this, the House of Fabergé produced more and more elaborate designs, year after year.

12. Earth, to Hans ERDE
In German, the Earth (Erde) is one of the planets (die Planeten).

18. “Reading Rainbow” host Burton LEVAR
“Reading Rainbow” is an award-winning children’s television series that aired on Public Television from 1983 to 2006. The mission of the show was to encourage children to read. “Reading Rainbow” was hosted by the actor LeVar Burton (from “Roots” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation”).

25. Liqueur in a fizz SLOE GIN
By definition, a cocktail known as a Fizz includes lemon or lime juice and carbonated water. The most popular of the genre is the Gin Fizz, made from 3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 5 parts soda water. There is also a variant known as a sloe gin fizz.

26. Barnard grad ALUMNA
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

Barnard College is private women’s school in New York City. Barnard was founded in 1889 and since 1900 has been affiliated with Columbia University.

30. Bert’s buddy ERNIE
I’ve always believed that the “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie were named after two roles played in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In the movie, the policeman’s name is Bert and his taxi-driving buddy is named Ernie. However, the “Sesame Street” folks have stated that the use of the same names is just a coincidence.

37. Sassy tyke BRAT
“Tyke” has been used playfully to describe a young child since at least 1902, but for centuries before that a tyke was a cur or mongrel, or perhaps a lazy or lower-class man.

42. Salt additive IODINE
Back in 1924, a professor of pediatrics in Michigan led a campaign in the US to have producers of salt add a small amount of sodium iodide to table salt, so that the population would have a readily available source of the iodine micronutrient. His goal was to reduce the incidence of goiter in the population.

46. Bad mood SNIT
The exact etymology of “snit”, meaning “fit of temper”, isn’t really known. The term was first used in print in the play “Kiss the Boys Goodbye” by Clare Booth Luce, which dates back to the 1930s and is set in the American South.

47. Bern’s river AARE
The Aar (also called the “Aare” in German) is the longest river entirely in Switzerland. A famous spot along the Aar is the Reichenbach Falls in the center of the country, actually a series of waterfalls near the city of Meiringen. These falls are renowned in the world of literature as it was here that Sherlock Holmes fell to his supposed doom with his nemesis Professor Moriarty (in “The Adventure of the Final Problem”).

48. Noodle bar order UDON
Udon noodles are made from wheat-flour and are very popular in Japanese cuisine like tempura.

52. Classic sneakers KEDS
Keds is a brand name of athletic shoe first introduced in 1916 by US Rubber. The shoe was originally marketed as a rubber-soled, canvas-topped sneaker.

55. Sorbonne one UNE
The Sorbonne is the name usually used for the old University of Paris, and some of the institutions that have succeeded it.

56. Aussie runner EMU
The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Help for Holmes CLUE
5. All hands on deck CREW
9. Baby food, usually PUREE
14. “Can you give me a __?” HINT
15. Bass’ red triangle, e.g. LOGO
16. Dove rival IVORY
17. Fraternal meeting place ELKS LODGE
19. Sense & Spray air freshener maker GLADE
20. “Here are the facts,” briefly FYI
21. Garden outcast EVE
22. Dark suit SPADES
23. Central church area NAVE
25. Pacific Northwest capital SALEM
27. “The Cask of Amontillado” writer EDGAR ALLAN POE
31. Reduced in number FEWER
32. Track tipsters TOUTS
33. Train cos. RRS
35. Yankee nickname since 2004 A-ROD
36. Asparagus, mostly STEMS
37. Nemesis BANE
38. ENE or WSW DIR
39. Set straight ALIGN
40. Golfer Palmer, to fans ARNIE
41. Where to read candidate endorsements EDITORIAL PAGE
44. Much of the time OFTEN
45. Kitchen add-on? -ETTE
46. Yemenis’ neighbors SAUDIS
49. “__ been thinking …” I’VE
50. NASA thumbs-up A-OK
53. Acme’s opposite NADIR
54. Periphery … and, literally, the periphery of 17-, 27- and 41-Across OUTER EDGE
57. Most clubs in a pro’s bag IRONS
58. Scott Turow memoir ONE L
59. Vulcan mind __: Spock’s skill MELD
60. Principle TENET
61. Superstorm response org. FEMA
62. Functions USES

Down
1. “Cutthroat Kitchen” competitor CHEF
2. Easter bloom LILY
3. Critical comment UNKIND WORD
4. Aliens, briefly ETS
5. Prosperous, after “in” CLOVER
6. Took the bus RODE
7. Fabergé creation EGG
8. Reason for hand-wringing WOE
9. Sloppy farm digs PIGPENS
10. Tanning booth light, for short UV LAMP
11. Freeway, e.g. ROAD
12. Earth, to Hans ERDE
13. Windows to the soul, so they say EYES
18. “Reading Rainbow” host Burton LEVAR
22. Mattress supports SLATS
24. Matured AGED
25. Liqueur in a fizz SLOE GIN
26. Barnard grad ALUMNA
27. Like 27-Across’ work EERIE
28. Clothes ATTIRE
29. Fruity drinks ORANGEADES
30. Bert’s buddy ERNIE
31. Fleeting fashion FAD
34. “Get it?” SEE?
36. Schedule openings SLOTS
37. Sassy tyke BRAT
39. Initially AT FIRST
40. More fitting APTER
42. Salt additive IODINE
43. Low parking garage floor LEVEL A
46. Bad mood SNIT
47. Bern’s river AARE
48. Noodle bar order UDON
49. List component ITEM
51. Gawk at OGLE
52. Classic sneakers KEDS
54. “That knocked the wind out of me!” OOF!
55. Sorbonne one UNE
56. Aussie runner EMU

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