LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Feb 16, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Steven J. St. John
THEME: Foggy Bottom … each of themed answers today is in the down-direction, and ends with something similar to FOG. Each has a FOGGY BOTTOM:

23D. State Department neighborhood … and what 3-, 8- and 29-Down all have? FOGGY BOTTOM

3D. Suspected of misdeeds UNDER A CLOUD
8D. Spent OUT OF STEAM
29D. Psychedelic rock classic of 1967 PURPLE HAZE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 10m 10s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Fry SAUTE
“Sauté” is a French word. The literal translation from the French is “jumped” or “bounced”, a reference to the tossing of food while cooking it in a frying pan.

6. Kung __ chicken PAO
Sichuan (also Szechuan) is a province in southwest China. Sichuan is noted for its cuisine, which is hot and spicy as it uses plenty of garlic, chili peppers and the Sichuan peppercorn. A famous Szechuan dish in the US is Kung Pao chicken or shrimp.

9. Market Fresh sandwich and salad seller ARBY’S
The Arby’s chain of fast food restaurants was founded in 1964 by two brothers, Forrest and Leroy Raffel. The name “Arby’s” is a homonym of “RB’s”, standing for “Raffel Brothers”.

14. Time of old Rome ANNUM
The Latin word for year is “annus”. We often see it used in Latin phrases, but usually with a different spelling. For example in “anno Domini”, the “anno” is the ablative case of “annus” as the phrase means “in the year of the Lord”. Another example is “per annum”, in which “annum” is the accusative case as the literal translation of the phrase is “during the year”.

21. D.C.’s Walter __ National Military Medical Center REED
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is located in Bethesda, Maryland on a site that was selected by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. The facility is named for US Army physician Walter Reed who discovered in 1901 that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes rather than by direct contact. Originally called Walter Reed General Hospital, it was renamed in 1951 to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). The WRMAC was absorbed into the tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2011.

22. Mennen lotion AFTA
Afta is an aftershave in the Mennen range of products that is owned by Colgate-Palmolive.

23. Govt. mtge. insurer FHA
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was set up in 1934 to insure loans made lenders for the building and purchase of homes. The FHA was created in response to the bank failures of the Great Depression, with the intent of creating a more favorable environment for lending.

26. One hoping to provide many happy returns? CPA
Certified public accountant (CPA)

28. Hammer number RAP
Rapper MC Hammer (aka Hammer and Hammertime) was born Stanley Kirk Burrell, and was very popular in the 80s and 90s. Being around that early, MC Hammer is considered to be one of the forefathers of rap. Nowadays, MC Hammer is a preacher, and uses the initials MC to stand for “Man of Christ”.

30. Big name in hairstyling SASSOON
Vidal Sassoon was a hairdresser and businessman from London, England. Sassoon is credited with “liberating” women from the hair salon by popularizing hairstyles that one could “wash and wear”.

32. Hyperbola part ARC
A hyperbola is a curve in a plane, a curve with two parts that are mirror images of each other.

40. Maple syrup target EGGO
Eggo is the brand name of a line of frozen waffles made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced the original name chosen, which was “Froffles”, created by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.

45. Taoist complement YIN
The yin and the yang can be explained using many different metaphors. In one, as the sun shines on a mountain, the side in the shade is the yin and the side in the light is the yang. The yin is also regarded as the feminine side, and the yang the masculine. The yin can also be associated with the moon, while the yang is associated with the sun.

The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.

48. Farrow of film MIA
Mia Farrow is an energetic, award-winning actress who really hasn’t looked back in her career since her first leading role, in “Rosemary’s Baby” back in 1968. Her on-screen celebrity is matched by the interest created by her personal life. Her first husband was Frank Sinatra, a wedding in 1966 that received a lot of attention partly due to the couple’s age difference (she was 21, he was 50). Her second husband was almost as famous, the magnificent musician André Previn. Farrow then moved in with Woody Allen, a relationship that famously fell apart when Farrow discovered that Allen was having a sexual relationship with Soon-Yi, one of her adopted daughters from the marriage with André Previn.

49. Ottoman title BEY
“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”.

51. “A Death in the Family” author AGEE
James Agee was a noted American film critic and screenwriter. Agee wrote an autobiographical novel “A Death in the Family” that won him his Pulitzer in 1958, albeit posthumously. He was also one of the screenwriters for the 1951 classic movie “The African Queen”.

53. Relative of Rex FIDO
“Fido”, the name for many a dog, is Latin for “I trust”. The name “Rex” translates from Latin as “king”.

62. Place for a Char-Broil PATIO
Char-Broil is a line of barbecue grills that is made by a division of the W. C. Bradley Co. The Bradley Co. also owns the brands Rhino, Tiki and Thermos.

64. Hole __ IN ONE
One well-documented hole-in-one was during a round of the British Open in 1973. American golfer Gene Sarazen achieved the feat that day, at the age of 71. A less well-documented series of holes-in-one was reported by the North Korean press in a story about the Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The report was that Kim Jong-il scored 11 holes-in-one in his first and only round of golf.

65. Third-longest African river NIGER
The principal river in western Africa is the Niger, running 2,600 miles through the continent. The river has a boomerang shape, taking a sharp turn around the the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali.

66. Uncertain no. EST
Estimate (est.)

Down
1. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria SAL’S
“Do the Right Thing” is a Spike Lee movie, released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called “Sal’s” owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).

5. Hams EMOTERS
The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is apparently a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.

6. First-serve figs. PCTS
The first-serve percentage is a statistic measured in tennis.

7. Island reception ALOHA
The Hawaiian word “Aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.

12. Start of an engagement? YES
Yes, I’ll marry you …

13. ’60s protest org. SDS
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an activist group in the sixties. The SDS organized the largest student strike in the history of the United States on 26 April 1968, with about a million students staying away from class that day. The “Students for a Democratic Society” name was revived in 2006 with the foundation of a new US-based student organization with left wing beliefs. Today’s SDS was founded by a pair of high school students from Greenwich Village, New York.

23. State Department neighborhood … and what 3-, 8- and 29-Down all have? FOGGY BOTTOM
Foggy Bottom is a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C., home to the US State Department and George Washington University. Situated beside the Potomac River, the area is said to have gotten its name as the low-lying location is susceptible to concentrations of fog.

24. Philly trademark HOAGIE
“Hoagy” is another name for a submarine sandwich. The term “hoagy” (or hoagie) originated in Philadelphia, apparently introduced by Italians working in the shipyards during WWI. The shipyards were located on Hog Island, and the sandwich was first called the Hog Island, which morphed into the hoagy.

25. “They that have done this deed are honourable” speaker ANTONY
The line “They that have done this deed are honourable” is from William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar”. It is part of a lengthy address by Marc Antony to the Roman citizens after the assassination of Julius Caesar. The address begins with the famous lines:

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

26. Changing place CABANA
Our word “cabana” comes from the Spanish “cabaña”, the word for a small hut or a cabin.

29. Psychedelic rock classic of 1967 PURPLE HAZE
“Purple Haze” is a 1967 song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix that has been described as a “psychedelic drug song of the sixties”. In fact, the term “purple haze” came to refer to LSD. Having said that, Hendrix denied any relation of the lyrics to drugs at all.

34. Brazilian-themed Vegas hotel, with “The” RIO
The Rio casino in Las Vegas was opened in 1990, originally targeting the local population as it is located off the famous Strip where most of the tourists hang out. Famously, the Rio opened up the adults-only Sapphire Pool in 2008, a pay-to-enter (only men paid) topless pool club that featured music and dancers. A year later the Sapphire Pool was closed down after there were eleven arrests for drugs and prostitution offences during an undercover police operation.

39. Nebula Award genre SCI-FI
The best works of science fiction and fantasy published each year are recognized annually by the Nebula Awards. The first Nebulas were awarded in 1966.

42. One may begin with “In a world … ” TRAILER
The term “trailer” came about in the film industry as advertisements for upcoming features were originally shown at the end of a movie being screened. This practise quickly fell out of favor as movie patrons usually left without paying much attention to the trailers. So, the trailers were moved to the beginning of the show, and the term “trailer” persisted.

47. Longhorn rival AGGIE
Texas A&M is the seventh largest university in the country, and was the first public higher education institute in the state when it accepted its first students in 1876. The full name of the school was the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas and its primary mission used to be the education of males in the techniques of farming and military warfare. That’s quite a combination! Because of the agricultural connection, the college’s sports teams use the moniker “Aggies”.

The University of Texas at Austin was established back in 1883. UT Austin is known as one of the “Public Ivies”, a publicly-funded university at which a student can get an education comparable to that provided by the Ivy League. The school’s sports teams are known as the Texas Longhorns, named for the Longhorn cattle that is now the official “large animal” of the state of Texas.

52. Adlai’s running mate ESTES
Estes Kefauver was a Democratic politician from Tennessee. In 1956 Kefauver was the running mate of Adlai Stevenson when Stevenson made a bid for the presidency. The pair lost to the Eisenhower-Nixon ticket.

54. 1997 Elton dedicatee DIANA
Diana, Princess of Wales was a close friend of the English singer Elton John. At the princess’s funeral, Elton John performed a revised version of his song “Candle in the Wind” to honor his departed friend. The song was released as a single under the name “Candle in the Wind 1997” It became the fastest and best-selling song of all time, and remains the only single ever to be “certified diamond” in the US.

55. “Spenser: For __” HIRE
Robert B. Parker wrote a series of detective novels featuring a Boston private eye named Spenser. The series of novels was continued after Parker’s death by Ace Atkins. The character also features in a TV show called “Spenser: For HIre”, as well as series of “Spenser” films based on the original novels. Spenser was played by Robert Urich on the weekly show, and by Joe Mantegna in three TV movies. We never learn Spenser’s given name.

57. Hessian article EINE
“Eine” is the German indefinite article used with feminine nouns.

Hesse is a German state. The capital of Hesse is Wiesbaden, although the largest city in the state is Frankfurt.

59. Fifth-century conqueror HUN
The Huns were a nomadic people who originated in Eastern Europe in the 4th century. Under the command of Attila the Hun they developed a unified empire that stretched from modern-day Germany across to the steppes of Central Asia. The whole of the Hunnic Empire collapsed within a year of Attila’s death in 453 AD.

60. Athlete’s wear, for short UNI
A unitard is like a leotard, except that it has long legs and sometime long sleeves. It wouldn’t be a good look for me …

The garment known as a leotard was named for French trapeze artist Jules Léotard. Léotard wore such a garment when he was performing.

61. It increases during plant growth: Abbr. MFG
That would be a manufacturing (mfg.) plant.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Fry SAUTE
6. Kung __ chicken PAO
9. Market Fresh sandwich and salad seller ARBY’S
14. Time of old Rome ANNUM
15. Unevenly distributed, in a way CLUSTERED
17. Brought on LED TO
18. Write-off TOTAL LOSS
19. Charming SWEET AS HONEY
21. D.C.’s Walter __ National Military Medical Center REED
22. Mennen lotion AFTA
23. Govt. mtge. insurer FHA
26. One hoping to provide many happy returns? CPA
28. Hammer number RAP
30. Big name in hairstyling SASSOON
32. Hyperbola part ARC
33. Sudden stream SPURT
35. Pull on TUG AT
36. Flee BOLT
38. Adjudicates TRIES
40. Maple syrup target EGGO
41. Nearly ABOUT
43. Take badly? POACH
45. Taoist complement YIN
46. Uncommitted NEUTRAL
48. Farrow of film MIA
49. Ottoman title BEY
50. Tack on ADD
51. “A Death in the Family” author AGEE
53. Relative of Rex FIDO
55. Energetic and enthusiastic HIGH-SPIRITED
59. Run up the score on HUMILIATE
62. Place for a Char-Broil PATIO
63. Removes restrictions on, as funds UNFREEZES
64. Hole __ IN ONE
65. Third-longest African river NIGER
66. Uncertain no. EST
67. Handles NAMES

Down
1. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria SAL’S
2. From the top ANEW
3. Suspected of misdeeds UNDER A CLOUD
4. Certain student TUTEE
5. Hams EMOTERS
6. First-serve figs. PCTS
7. Island reception ALOHA
8. Spent OUT OF STEAM
9. If nothing else AT LEAST
10. Depend RELY
11. Pal BRO
12. Start of an engagement? YES
13. ’60s protest org. SDS
16. Big bag carrier SANTA
20. Modify to fit ADAPT
23. State Department neighborhood … and what 3-, 8- and 29-Down all have? FOGGY BOTTOM
24. Philly trademark HOAGIE
25. “They that have done this deed are honourable” speaker ANTONY
26. Changing place CABANA
27. Examined closely PROBED
29. Psychedelic rock classic of 1967 PURPLE HAZE
31. Seek redress SUE
34. Brazilian-themed Vegas hotel, with “The” RIO
37. Tsk relative TUT
39. Nebula Award genre SCI-FI
42. One may begin with “In a world … ” TRAILER
44. U-shaped, more or less HAIRPIN
47. Longhorn rival AGGIE
52. Adlai’s running mate ESTES
54. 1997 Elton dedicatee DIANA
55. “Spenser: For __” HIRE
56. Annoyance PEST
57. Hessian article EINE
58. Achieves DOES
59. Fifth-century conqueror HUN
60. Athlete’s wear, for short UNI
61. It increases during plant growth: Abbr. MFG

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12 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 19 Feb 16, Friday”

  1. I…I…I actually finished this grid in short order and in great shape. One rather nasty error (18-Across), but otherwise very smooth. Strange for a Fri. grid, but I'll take it (and I'm sure will get the opposite experience come tomorrow).

  2. I was able to finish this, and for the most part it seemed too easy for a Friday gird. I caused myself difficulty by putting in IRS for 26 Across "One hoping to provide many happy returns" until I finally changed it to CPA and then the down answers came together.

    Hope everyone has a great Friday. See you all tomorrow.

  3. Agree – not bad for a Friday. I was interrupted a few times so my time was very high. I had cluttered for CLUSTERED but once I finally figured out SANTA, i was able to fix it.

    61D MFG for "It increases during plant growth" wins the prize today going away. Really got a chuckle on that one.

    Someone explain to me how Fido (I trust) and Rex (king) are related. Because they're both Latin words? Pretty weak. Am I missing something? Wouldn't be the first time.

    Tony – terrible mistake thinking the IRS provides us happy returns… 🙂

    I went to graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin. We used to say the Ivies were the private UT's….but I think a lot of schools say stuff like that. We called Cal Berkeley the UT of the west as well. Personally I always thought all of that was gibberish anyway. 2+2=4 no matter what campus is teaching it…

    I saw UNI as being short for UNIform (as opposed to unitard) for "Athlete's wear, for short". "I really like thier unis" is a pretty common phrase…meaning I like their uniforms. I guess both work.

    Finally, a sad farewell to Harper Lee. Just heard she died. Loved To Kill a Mockingbird as a school kid and still love the movie.

    Best –

  4. @Jeff – Maybe you're too young, but at one time they were typical pet dog names. I have an antique toy called Radio Rex that must be a century old. When you yell, "Here Rex," he jumps out of his dog house. I've never really known anyone to name their dog Fido. Now it's people names.

    Got TRAILER, but didn't "get" it. Made the IRS vs CPA error. Thought SANTA was SerTA, and that the Big Bag must be some sort of mattress.

  5. @Jeff
    You're forgetting that Cal Berkeley left reality behind long ago. There they use Modulo 3 to calculate that 2 + 2 = 1.

    Agree with you about To Kill a Mockingbird — a true classic. One of the few times I think when the movie was better than the book.

  6. An amazing thing – I nearly finished a Friday. I won't tell you how close ( or not – ) I was. But I enjoyed it, very much, thank you.

    I put in IRS, (before I changed it – ) and I am a CPA. How ironic. The IRS personnel least care on when you file your returns, unless they are on your case, as for an audit. Their telephone responses are absolutely pathetic – although much better than such others around the world. I suppose.

    I had trouble with MFG and UNI and YIN and FIDO …. Kung Pao ( means, 'with peanuts') chicken is my favorite.

    Sichuan peppercorn is a unique spice, in the sense that it does not give heat, like regular chillies, but temporarily numbs your tongue ( Ma vs. La, the correct expression, 'fiery' vs. 'numbing', in chinese – ). Much like an mini shot of lidocaine on your tongue.

    I won't exult in my Friday achievement, after all it could have been just a regular easy puzzle. Lets see what happens come next week.
    Have a nice day, all.

  7. Macaronijack, I used to have a low opinion of UC Berkeley until I read about their strenghts in say, chemical engineering, and Chemistry, and also the large number of Nobel prize winners on their roster, etc.

    I just saw,'To Kill a mockingbird', for the nth time, last month. I also read a biography ('I am scout'), about Harper Lee ( who, I used to think was a man !). She helped write the entire diary about the criminals, she interviewed, for her old town neighbor, and friend, Truman Capote ( then Truman Persons ) which became the novel, 'In cold blood', also a Pulitzer prize winner, …. and he refused to even give a single line of credit to her !!! RIP.

  8. Must be "smooth going" Friday, got the WSJ even quicker than this one. Though, I'm back at the "that meta is so totally obviously easy" that I can't figure out (though I think I'm 90% of the way on this one, actually).

    Interesting thing: The software they use for LAT is likely most of the reason they won't accept rebus grids. Birnholz's grid of last week (that outfit uses the same software) used rebus squares, but it was accompanied with a note to the effect of "you best print this out". Hmmm…

    Well, onward to the grids that are going to remind me that I really can't do this.

  9. @macaronijack
    Funny. I guess the K in Berkeley is for K map then, I assume? Wouldn't 4 MOD 2 be 0?

    Actually, I think at Berkeley it would be 2+2= well slightly more than 1 or 2 but less than 5 or 8. We don't want to leave any other numbers out so we don't want to single out 4…..

    I believe it's time for a Maker's Mark and a Sam Adams to start the weekend….not to forget a Bushmills and Guinness Draft for Bill…

    Best –

  10. @Jeff
    What's really funny is how I throw these terms around — math's not really my subject. But I do read a lot. In any case enjoy that bourbon. I'm starting the weekend with a bottle of Bolero Snort, one of Jersey's finest brews.

  11. Hi gang! This was a good puzzle, I think. Well written, well constructed. Of course I DNF, but I got most of it.
    @everyone — note how Glenn starts off his comments when he's surprised at doing well!! "I…I…I actually finished this one!" I enjoy the bemused attitude… Thanks Glenn!
    I myself haven't had that feeling for MANY a Friday. The last Friday grid that I completed without help was last JULY!! (Why am I admitting to that?!)
    Enjoy the weekend, all!
    Sweet dreams~~™

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