LA Times Crossword Answers 23 Oct 15, Friday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Locale of TV’s Krusty Krab restaurant SEABED
The Krusty Krab is a fast food restaurant frequented by SpongeBob Squarepants on his animated TV show.

7. “The Hitch-Hiker” director Lupino IDA
Actress Ida Lupino was also a successful director, in the days when women weren’t very welcome behind the camera. Lupino had already directed four “women’s” short films when she stepped in to direct the 1953 drama “The Hitch-Hiker”, taking over when the original director became ill. “The Hitch-Hiker” was the first film noir movie to be directed by a woman, and represented somewhat of a breakthrough for women in the industry.

10. Meatless lasagna ingredient, perhaps TOFU
Tofu is another name for bean curd, and is a Japanese word meaning just that … bean that has “curdled”. Tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk, using either salt or something acidic. Once the protein has coagulated, the curds are pressed into the familiar blocks. Personally I love tofu, but my wife, she absolutely hates it …

Lasagna was originally the name of a cooking pot, but it came to mean a dish that was cooked in it. Lasagna also became the name of the flat noodle used in the dish. If you order lasagna on the other side of the Atlantic, you’ll notice the “lasagne” spelling, the plural of “lasagna”. The plural is used as there is more than one layer of pasta in the dish.

22. The Hammer of baseball AARON
The great Hank Aaron (“Hammerin’ Hank” or “the Hammer”) has many claims to fame. One notable fact is that he is the last major league baseball player to have also played in the Negro League.

26. Backbone of capitalism, on the base? PVT (PRIVATE) ENTERPRISE
It is generally agreed that the French politician and historian Louis Blanc coined the term “capitalism” in 1850, although he himself was a socialist. Blanc’s definition for capitalism was the appropriation of capital by some to the exclusion of others. We use the term today to describe an economic system in which trade, industry and production are privately owned and driven by profit.

31. Natural mole fur hue TAUPE
Taupe is a dark, gray-brown color. The word “taupe” comes from the Latin name of the European Mole, which has skin with the same color.

35. Fruity quaffs ADES
“Quaff” is both a verb and a noun. One quaffs (takes a hearty drink) of a quaff (a hearty drink).

36. “Actions speak louder than words,” e.g. MAXIM
Our word “maxim” meaning “precept, principle” has been around since the early 1600s. It ultimately derives from the Latin phrase “maxima propositio”, which translates as “greatest premise”.

38. Short pooch, for short PEKE
The pekingese breed originated in China, as one might suspect from the name. Breeding practices have resulted in the the dog having many health problems, including breathing issues related to the “desirable” flat face. Standards have been changed in recent years, demanding an “evident muzzle” in an attempt to breed healthier dogs.

41. __ metabolism BASAL
One’s basal metabolism is just the basic processes of the body, the one’s essential to maintain life. The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories needed to maintain that basal metabolism, sufficient energy to maintain function of the vital organs such as heart, lungs, kidneys. Excluded is the energy needed to move around, to eat, or to absorb food.

47. Med. recording ECG
An EKG measures electrical activity in the heart. Back in my homeland of Ireland, an EKG is known as an ECG (for electrocardiogram). We use the German name in the US, Elektrokardiogramm, giving us EKG. Apparently the abbreviation EKG is preferred as ECG might be confused (if poorly handwritten, I guess) with EEG, the abbreviation for an electroencephalogram.

59. Lethargy cause ANEMIA
The term “anemia” (or “anaemia” as we write it back in Ireland) comes from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. Anemia is a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition.

61. Digital image format BITMAP
A bitmap is an image file format used to store digital images. Basically, each pixel in a bitmap file is stored as a “bit” of information, hence the name “bitmap”. In 1987, CompuServe introduced a new type of image file called the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). A GIF image takes the same information as a bitmap and then compresses it, resulting in a smaller file size. However, during compression the image may lose some resolution. The GIF format also handles short video clips, usually animations.

62. It keeps the team together YOKE
A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen so that they are forced to work together.

64. Studio equipment EASELS
The word “easel” comes from an old Dutch word meaning “donkey” would you believe? The idea is that an easel carries its load (an oil painting, say) just as a donkey would be made to carry a load.

Down
1. Companion to Artemis STAG
Artemis was an ancient Greek goddess, the equivalent of the Roman Diana. Artemis was a daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo.

4. 2014 Best Rock Album Grammy winner BECK
Beck is the stage name of Bek David Campbell, an American alternative rock musician.

11. 1930s-’40s slugger OTT
At 5′ 9″, Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old.

13. Mil. morale booster USO
The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of FDR “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

24. Panasonic headquarters city OSAKA
Osaka used to be called Naniwa, with the name changing to Osaka some time before 1500. “Osaka” can be translated either as “large hill” or “large slope”.

Not so long ago, Panasonic was called Matsushita Electronics, the name it took from its founder when the company started in 1918. The products manufactured back then were lamp sockets, and in 1927 the company introduced a bicycle lamp. Even after the company became famous for producing electrical and electronic goods, Matsushita had a very successful line of Panasonic bicycles, as the founder was raised in a family with a bicycle shop and he was passionate about cycling.

25. Staircase support NEWEL
A newel is a principal upright post that supports a handrail beside a staircase. Newels are found at the top and bottom of the banister, and sometimes in between. Newels are often adorned with decorative trim to set them apart from the other posts by the staircase.

26. Southwestern community PUEBLO
A pueblo is a Native American village, a term used in the American Southwest. The buildings in a pueblo are usually made of stone and adobe mud, and hence are ochre in color.

29. Priest in 1 Samuel ELI
In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh, and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, both of whom are described as wicked. As a result of their wayward lifestyle, it is prophesied that all of Eli’s male descendents will die before reaching old age.

30. N.T. book written by Paul ROM
The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. The book takes the form of a long letter written by the apostle Paul to Christians residing in Rome.

36. “What a piece of work is a __!”: Hamlet MAN
“What a piece of work is a man!” is a line from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. The line is spoken by the title character, addressing his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The same line is used as the title of a song from the musical “Hair”.

37. Legendary fighter ALI
Muhammad Ali won 56 professional fights, 37 of which were knockouts. He lost 5 fights, 4 being decisions and one being a technical knockout (TKO). The TKO-loss was Ali’s second-last fight, against Larry Holmes. By the time Ali took on Holmes, he was already showing signs of Parkinson’s Syndrome, although the diagnosis would not come until four years later. Ali turned out for his last two fights largely because he needed the money. A sad end to a career, I’d say …

38. Broadway flier PAN
“Peter Pan” is a musical adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play of the same name. The musical opened on Broadway in 1954, famously starring Mary Martin in the title role. NBC recorded three separate telecasts of the stage production with the original cast, in 1955, 1956 and 1960. NBC broadcast a revived version of the musical in 2014 called “Peter Pan Live!” with Allison Williams playing Peter, and Christopher Walken playing Captain Hook. Unlike the earlier recordings, the 2014 version was not received well.

40. Coins of old Venice DUCATS
The ducat was a coin introduced by the Republic of Venice in 1284.

43. Clearasil target PIMPLE
Clearasil acne medication was developed in 1940 by Ivan Combe and Kedzie Teller. Combe promoted the product by sponsoring the television show “American Bandstand” for many years.

45. Mrs. Miller’s partner in a 1971 Altman film MCCABE
“McCabe and Mrs. Miller” is a 1971 western movie starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie in the title roles. The film was directed by Robert Altman, the project that he took on right after his success with “M*A*S*H”. I haven’t seen this movie, not being one for westerns, but I might check it out as Roger Ebert described it as “perfect”.

50. Hamilton’s undoing DUEL
Alexander Hamilton was one of America’s Founding Fathers, chief of staff to General George Washington and the first Secretary of the Treasury. It was Hamilton who founded the nation’s first political party, the Federalist Party. He is also famous for fighting a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr, which resulted in Hamilton’s death a few days later.

52. November honorees VETS
Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day, and is observed on November 11th each year. This particular date was chosen as the Armistice that ended WWI was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

53. Rylan of “Guiding Light” EMME
Emme Rylan is an actress from Providence, North Carolina who is perhaps best-known for her roles in soap operas, notably “Guiding LIght” and “The Young and the Restless”.

54. Currency of Iran RIAL
The “Rial” is name of the currency of Iran (as well as Yemen, Oman, Cambodia and Tunisia).

56. Le Carré figure SPY
John Le Carré is the pen name of David Cornwell, an English author famous for his spy novels. Cornwell worked for British Intelligence during the fifties and sixties, even as he was writing his spy thrillers. He left MI6 soon after his most famous 1963 novel “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”, became such a great success.

58. JFK was one ELK
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. Famous Elks were US presidents Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Gerald Ford.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Locale of TV’s Krusty Krab restaurant SEABED
7. “The Hitch-Hiker” director Lupino IDA
10. Meatless lasagna ingredient, perhaps TOFU
14. “I wanna go too!” TAKE ME!
15. Presumed threats to letter carriers DOG BITES
17. ” … according to my abilities” … AS I CAN
18. Half, statistically ONE IN TWO
19. Familiar material, on the base? GEN (GENERAL) KNOWLEDGE
21. __ loss AT A
22. The Hammer of baseball AARON
26. Backbone of capitalism, on the base? PVT (PRIVATE) ENTERPRISE
31. Natural mole fur hue TAUPE
33. Balm source ALOE
34. Hand analog PAW
35. Fruity quaffs ADES
36. “Actions speak louder than words,” e.g. MAXIM
38. Short pooch, for short PEKE
39. It’s hardly a smash LOB
40. Lowlands feature DALE
41. __ metabolism BASAL
42. Disciplinary action, on the base? CPL (CORPORAL) PUNISHMENT
46. Undemonstrative sort STOIC
47. Med. recording ECG
48. Important find, on the base? MAJ (MAJOR) DISCOVERY
56. Cleaned, in a way SWEPT OUT
59. Lethargy cause ANEMIA
60. One assessing sentiment POLLSTER
61. Digital image format BITMAP
62. It keeps the team together YOKE
63. Calculating SLY
64. Studio equipment EASELS

Down
1. Companion to Artemis STAG
2. Simplicity EASE
3. Related AKIN
4. 2014 Best Rock Album Grammy winner BECK
5. Spring (from) EMANATE
6. Mean DENOTE
7. Teen __ IDOL
8. “And there you have it!” DONE!
9. Old AGED
10. Problem for a conductor wannabe TIN EAR
11. 1930s-’40s slugger OTT
12. Limited FEW
13. Mil. morale booster USO
16. Oaf BIG APE
20. Lacking color WAN
23. Best for consumption, perhaps RIPEST
24. Panasonic headquarters city OSAKA
25. Staircase support NEWEL
26. Southwestern community PUEBLO
27. No. twos VPS
28. Perennial political debate subject TAXES
29. Priest in 1 Samuel ELI
30. N.T. book written by Paul ROM
31. Soothing applications TALCS
32. Add to the family ADOPT
36. “What a piece of work is a __!”: Hamlet MAN
37. Legendary fighter ALI
38. Broadway flier PAN
40. Coins of old Venice DUCATS
41. Colorful tropical perennial BEGONIA
43. Clearasil target PIMPLE
44. Guys HES
45. Mrs. Miller’s partner in a 1971 Altman film MCCABE
49. Scribbles JOTS
50. Hamilton’s undoing DUEL
51. Modest sentence I TRY
52. November honorees VETS
53. Rylan of “Guiding Light” EMME
54. Currency of Iran RIAL
55. Doesn’t shut up YAPS
56. Le Carré figure SPY
57. Ply with flowers and chocolate WOO
58. JFK was one ELK

Return to top of page