LA Times Crossword Answers 26 Jan 16, Tuesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Zen garden growth MOSS
Japanese Zen gardens are inspired by the meditation gardens of Zen Buddhist temples. Zen gardens have no water in them, but often there is gravel and sand that is raked in patterns designed to create the impression of water in waves and ripples.

5. Arthur of tennis ASHE
Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

17. What buck passers “play” BLAME GAME (giving “game face”)
The phrase “passing the buck” supposedly comes from poker. The marker that indicates whose turn it is to deal is called the buck, and it is passed from player to player. Over time, the phrase came to mean the passing of responsibility (or usually blame). President Harry S. Truman popularized the derivative phrase “the buck stops here” by placing a sign bearing those words on his desk in the Oval Office. President Truman had received the sign as a gift from a prison warden who was also an enthusiastic poker player.

19. JCPenney competitor MACY’S
The original Macy’s store was opened by Rowland Hussey Macy in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1851. This store, and several others that Macy opened, all failed. Macy picked himself up though, and started over again in New York City. Those early New York stores all focused on the sale of dry goods, but added departments quickly as the clientele grew. The Macy’s “star” logo has been around since the company was first established. Macy chose the star because it mimicked the star tattoo that he got as a teenager when he was working on a whaling ship out of Nantucket.

The JCPenney department stores started out as the Golden Rule Store, founded by James Cash Penney and two partners in 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyoming. That first store is still operating today in Kemmerer. Sam Walton used to work for Penney’s in Des Moines, Iowa, before moving on to found the Walmart empire.

20. Former baseball commissioner Bud SELIG
Bud Selig was the Commissioner of Baseball for Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2015. Selig became acting commissioner in 1992 after the resignation of Fay Vincent. The team owners searched for a new commissioner for six years, and finally gave the permanent job to Selig in 1998.

21. Holiday song first popularized by Eartha Kitt SANTA BABY (giving “baby face”)
Eartha Kitt sure did have a unique voice and singing style. Her rendition of “Santa Baby” has to be one of the most distinctive and memorable recordings in the popular repertoire. Some of you will no doubt remember Eartha playing Catwoman on the final series of the TV show “Batman”.

26. Maiden name intro NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

34. “A bit of talcum / Is always walcum” poet NASH
The poet Ogden Nash was well known for his light and humorous verse. Here a couple:

Reflection on Babies
A bit of talcum
Is always walcum.

The Parent
Children aren’t happy with nothing to ignore,
And that’s what parents were created for.

37. God of love EROS
Eros, the Greek god of love, was also known as Amor.

38. You might stand pat in it DRAW POKER (giving “poker face”)
To stand pat is to resist change. The term comes from the game of poker, in which one “stands pat” if one keeps one’s hand as is, not drawing any extra cards.

44. Navig. tool GPS
Global Positioning System (GPS)

47. Some stoves AMANAS
The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa.

53. “Mazel __!” TOV
“Tov” is the Hebrew word for “good”, as in “mozel tov”, meaning “good luck”.

56. Italian deli sandwich PANINI
In Italy, a sandwich made from sliced bread is called a “tramezzino”, while sandwiches made from non-sliced breads are called “panini” (singular “panino”). We’ve imported the term “panini” into English to mean a pressed and toasted sandwich.

58. Navy stunt pilot BLUE ANGEL (giving “angel face”)
“Blue Angels” is the popular name for the US Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron. The group was formed in 1946 and is the oldest of the US military’s flying aerobatic teams. The squadron took its nickname back in ‘46 from the Blue Angel nightclub that was around at that time in New York City.

63. Countesses’ spouses EARLS
In the ranking of nobles, an earl comes above a viscount and below a marquess. The rank of earl is used in the British peerage system and is equivalent to the rank of count in other countries. Other British ranks have female forms (e.g. marquess and marchioness, viscount and viscountess), but there isn’t a female word for the rank of earl. A female given the same rank as an earl is known as a countess.

66. Rhubarb unit STALK
We can eat the leaf stalks of the rhubarb plant, but not the leaves themselves. The leaves contain oxalic acid and are highly toxic.

67. Island near Corsica ELBA
I had a lovely two-week vacation in Tuscany once, including what was supposed to be a two-night stay on the island of Elba. I had envisioned Elba as a place full of history, and maybe it is, but it is also overrun with tourists who use it as a beach getaway. We left after one day and we won’t be going back again …

Corsica is a large island in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to France. Napoléon Bonaparte was born on Corsica, in the town of Ajaccio.

69. Monica of tennis SELES
Monica Seles has a Hungarian name as she was born to Hungarian parents in former Yugoslavia. Seles was the World No. 1 professional tennis player in 1991 and 1992 before being forced from the sport when she was stabbed by a spectator at a match in 1993. She did return to the game two years later, but never achieved the same level of success.

70. Ultra-fast jets SSTS
The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Famously, the Concorde routinely broke the sound barrier, and cruised at about twice the speed of sound. Above Mach 2, frictional heat would cause the plane’s aluminum airframe to soften, so airspeed was limited.

Down
1. Many a character in “The Godfather” MOBSTER
“The Godfather” series of films is based on “The Godfather” novel by Mario Puzo, first published in 1969. Francis Ford Coppola worked with Puzo in partnership to adapt his novel into the screenplay for the first film, and to write the screenplays for the two sequels. Coppola holds that there are really only two films in “The Godfather” series, with “The Godfather Part III” actually being the epilogue.

3. Sold for a quick profit, as tickets SCALPED
Scalping of tickets, selling them above retail price for an excessive profit, originated in the mid-1800s with scalpers making money off theater tickets. There was also quite a bit of money made by people scalping railway tickets. Railroads gave discounts on tickets for longer journeys, so someone trying to get from San Francisco to Chicago say, might buy a ticket to New York. Once in Chicago the passenger would scalp the remainder of his/her ticket to someone wanting to get to New York, and make his or her invested money back with a bonus. The exact etymology of the term “scalper” seems unclear.

4. Loading dock trucks  SEMIS
A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

5. Chile neighbor: Abbr. ARG
Argentina is the second largest country in South America (after Brazil), and geographically is the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation. The name “Argentina” of course comes from the Latin “argentum”, the word for “silver”. It is thought that the name was given by the early Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who also named the Rio de la Plata (the “Silver River”). Those early explorers got hold of lots of silver objects that they found among the native population.

The land of Chile has a very distinctive shape. It is a narrow strip that runs up the west coast of South America. The average width of the country is only a little over 100 miles, and yet its length is about 2,700 miles. Chile is touted as the longest country in the world, although I am not so sure what that means exactly. I mean, Russia extends about 4,800 miles from east-to west, so maybe “longest” implies long in the north-south direction?

7. Muscle beach dude HE-MAN
The original Muscle Beach was located on the south side of Santa Monica Pier in Southern California. Bodybuilders started working out on the beach back in the 1930s when exercise equipment was installed there as part of the WPA program. Some of the equipment was removed in the fifties, so the bodybuilding community shifted to the Venice Beach Weight Pen. That area was developed and is now known as Muscle Beach Venice.

8. Court colleague of Ruth and Sonia ELENA
Elena Kagan was the Solicitor General of the United States who replaced Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court. That made Justice Kagan the first female US Solicitor General and the fourth female US Supreme Court justice. I hear she is a fan of Jane Austen, and used to reread “Pride and Prejudice” once a year. Not a bad thing to do, I’d say …

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg serves on the US Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg was the second woman to join the Court, nominated by President Bill Clinton. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During that time she did not miss one day on the bench. In 2009 Justice Ginsburg had surgery for pancreatic cancer, and was back to work 12 days later.

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic justice on the US Supreme Court, and the third female justice. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace the retiring Justice David Souter.

9. The Crimson Tide BAMA
The athletic teams of the University of Alabama (“Bama”) are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, a reference to the team colors of crimson and white.

22. “Check back later,” in a sked TBA
Something not yet on the schedule (sked) is to be advised (TBA).

32. Bobby of hockey ORR
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …

35. Mother’s Day indulgence SPA
Note the official punctuation in “Mother’s Day”, even though one might think it should be “Mothers’ Day”. President Wilson, and Anna Jarvis who created the tradition, specifically wanted Mother’s Day to honor the mothers within each family and not just “mothers” in general, so they went with the “Mother’s Day” punctuation.

38. Crime family leader DON
In the Mafia, a don is a head of a family, someone who might order a hit, a killing.

39. Genetic letters RNA
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

45. It’ll cure all ills PANACEA
Panacea was the Greek goddess of healing. She lent her name to the term “panacea” that was used by alchemists to describe the beguiling remedy that could cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely.

48. LIRR stop STN
Station (stn.)

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the commuter rail service that runs all over Long Island, New York with 124 stations and 700 miles of track. More people use the LIRR than any other commuter railroad in the US. It is also the only commuter railroad in the country that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

57. Jack Sprat’s restriction NO FAT
Jack Sprat was a nickname given in the 16th century to people of small stature. Jack featured in a proverb of the day:

Jack will eat not fat, and Jull doth love no leane. Yet betwixt them both they lick the dishes cleane.

Over time, this mutated into a nursery rhyme that is still recited in England:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. And so between them both, you see, they licked the platter clean.

59. InStyle competitor ELLE
“Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”. “Elle” is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.

“InStyle” is a monthly fashion magazine for women. I had no idea …

61. Pride parade letters LGBT
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)

The first gay pride parades were held all on the same weekend in 1970, in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Zen garden growth MOSS
5. Arthur of tennis ASHE
9. Toss back and forth, as words BANDY
14. __ and for all ONCE
15. Fishing line holder REEL
16. Be wild about ADORE
17. What buck passers “play” BLAME GAME (giving “game face”)
19. JCPenney competitor MACY’S
20. Former baseball commissioner Bud SELIG
21. Holiday song first popularized by Eartha Kitt SANTA BABY (giving “baby face”)
23. Hits gently TAPS ON
25. Arrest NAB
26. Maiden name intro NEE
27. Holiday threshold EVE
28. Weeping, perhaps SAD
30. In disagreement AT ODDS
33. __ meat RED
34. “A bit of talcum / Is always walcum” poet NASH
37. God of love EROS
38. You might stand pat in it DRAW POKER (giving “poker face”)
41. Auth. unknown ANON
43. Back of the neck NAPE
44. Navig. tool GPS
47. Some stoves AMANAS
49. Tailor SEW
51. Insistent knock RAP
52. Drill insert BIT
53. “Mazel __!” TOV
56. Italian deli sandwich PANINI
58. Navy stunt pilot BLUE ANGEL (giving “angel face”)
62. One with wanderlust NOMAD
63. Countesses’ spouses EARLS
64. Drill sergeant’s directive … and, literally, what the ends of 17-, 21-, 38- and 58-Across can each have RIGHT FACE!
66. Rhubarb unit STALK
67. Island near Corsica ELBA
68. Masterful tennis server ACER
69. Monica of tennis SELES
70. Ultra-fast jets SSTS
71. Brewed beverages TEAS

Down
1. Many a character in “The Godfather” MOBSTER
2. Temporarily not working ON LEAVE
3. Sold for a quick profit, as tickets SCALPED
4. Loading dock trucks SEMIS
5. Chile neighbor: Abbr. ARG
6. Salty waters SEAS
7. Muscle beach dude HE-MAN
8. Court colleague of Ruth and Sonia ELENA
9. The Crimson Tide BAMA
10. Very little A DAB
11. “Impossible” NO CAN DO
12. Signs of prolonged drought DRY BEDS
13. “I completely agree!” YES YES!
18. Showbiz clashers EGOS
22. “Check back later,” in a sked TBA
24. Grandma NANA
29. Light before sunup DAWN
31. Concert shirt TEE
32. Bobby of hockey ORR
35. Mother’s Day indulgence SPA
36. Short plane trips HOPS
38. Crime family leader DON
39. Genetic letters RNA
40. “__ your chin up!” KEEP
41. “Have we started yet?” AM I LATE?
42. Without additives NATURAL
44. Pained expression GRIMACE
45. It’ll cure all ills PANACEA
46. Little web masters SPIDERS
47. Convent overseer ABBESS
48. LIRR stop STN
50. Desire WANT
54. Fairy tale baddies OGRES
55. Bridal shop buys VEILS
57. Jack Sprat’s restriction NO FAT
59. InStyle competitor ELLE
60. Poses a question ASKS
61. Pride parade letters LGBT
65. Owns HAS

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