LA Times Crossword Answers 28 Feb 16, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jeffrey Wechsler
THEME: Putting in Overtime … each of today’s themed answers is a common phrase with the letters OT inserted (PUT IN).

21A. Cold weather moisturizer? THE LOTION IN WINTER (“The Lion in Winter” + “OT”)
36A. Moor’s money pool? OTHELLO KITTY (“Hello Kitty” + “OT”)
57A. Best Western fishing amenities? MOTEL BROOKS (“Mel Brooks” + “OT”)
66A. Business where lines are discouraged? BOTOX OFFICE (“box office” + “OT”)
88A. Child-friendly? SUITED TO A TOT (“suited to a T” + “OT”)
106A. Queen’s body double? OTHER ROYAL MAJESTY (“Her Royal Majesty” + “OT”)
14D. Spoils at your neighbor’s house? THE BOOTY NEXT DOOR (“the boy next door” + “OT”)
35D. Did away with voting? DROPPED THE BALLOT (“dropped the ball” + “OT”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 21m 51s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. __ Picchu MACHU
Machu Picchu is known as “The Lost City of the Incas”, and it can be visited on a mountain ridge in Peru, 50 miles northwest of the city of Cuzco in the southeast of the country. The name Machu Picchu means “old peak”. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu originates about 50 miles from Cuzco on the Urubamba River in Peru. It can take travelers about 5 days to trek the full length of the trail, passing through many Incan ruins before reaching the Sun Gate on Machu Picchu mountain. The trail was becoming greatly overused, forcing the Peruvian government to limit the number of people on the trail each day to 500. Book early …

10. Early name in late TV PAAR
Jack Paar was most famous as the host of “The Tonight Show”, from 1957 to 1962. When he died in 2004, “Time” magazine wrote that Paar was “the fellow who split talk show history into two eras: Before Paar and Below Paar”. Very complimentary …

14. Bit TAD
Back in the 1800s “tad” was used to describe a young child, and this morphed into our usage of “small amount” in the early 1900s. The original use of “tad” for a child is very likely a shortened version of “tadpole”.

17. They help define a lot ACRES
We’ve been using the term “lot” to mean “plot of land” since the mid-1600s. This meaning arose from the practice of assigning the best properties in a new settlement by casting lots.

18. “Eraserhead” star Jack NANCE
Jack Nance was an American actor who worked a lot with director David Lynch. He was one of the stars of the TV series “Twin Peaks” in which he played Pete Martell, a henpecked lumberjack. Coincidentally, the Log Lady in “Twin Peaks” was played by Catherine E. Coulson, one-time wife of Nance.

Director David Lynch started work on “Eraserhead” early in his career, and it is very much “his” film as he wrote, produced and directed it. It took him a while to get it finished as funding was hard to come by. He used funds from an American Film Institute grant, as well as financing from family and friends, including actress Sissy Spacek.

19. __ à manger: dining room SALLE
“Dining room” in French is “salle à manger”, literally “room for eating”.

21. Cold weather moisturizer? THE LOTION IN WINTER (“The Lion in Winter” + “OT”)
“The Lion in Winter” is a play by James Goldman that was first staged in 1966 on Broadway. The two lead characters in the piece are King Henry II of England and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. The play was adapted into a very successful movie in 1968 starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn. There was also a 2003 television movie adaption that I’d like to see, starring Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close.

26. Trig function SINE
The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine, cosine and tangent (abbreviated to “sin, cos and tan”). Each of these is a ratio, a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The “reciprocal” of these three functions are secant, cosecant and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine, cosine and tangent. These inverted ratios should not be confused with the “inverse” trigonometric functions e.g. arcsine, arccosine and arctangent. These inverse functions are the reverse of the sine, cosine and tangent. For example, the arctangent can be read as “What angle is equivalent to the following ratio of opposite over adjacent?”

27. Real Madrid’s game FUTBOL
“Fútbol” is the Spanish word for football, soccer.

Real Madrid is the professional soccer team based in Madrid, Spain. The team name translates as “Royal Madrid”. Real Madrid is now the world’s most valuable soccer team.

32. Judd of country music NAOMI
The Judds were a country music singing duo made up of Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna. Naomi Judd is also the mother of actress Ashley Judd, with Ashley and Wynonna being half-sisters.

36. Moor’s money pool? OTHELLO KITTY (“Hello Kitty” + “OT”)
The most famous Moor in literature has to be Othello, the title character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello, the Moor of Venice”. The word “Moor” describes various peoples of North Africa, usually of the Muslim faith. At the height of their geographic influence the Moors occupied much of the Iberian peninsula, calling it Al Andalus (from which modern Andalusia gets its name).

The “pot” in a card game has been referred to as the kitty since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it came from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.

Hello Kitty is a female bobtail cat, a character and a brand name launched in 1974 by the Japanese company Sanrio. Folks can overpay for stationary, school supplies and fashion accessories with the Hello Kitty character emblazoned thereon.

39. Zen paradox KOAN
The concept of the “koan” appears in the Zen Buddhist tradition. A koan is a story, question or perhaps a statement that is used as an aid to meditation. It often takes the form of a problem or riddle that has no logical solution and is intended to help the meditator break free of reason and develop intuition.

46. Lionel Hampton’s instrument VIBES
A vibraphone (often “the vibes”) is a similar to a xylophone, but it has aluminum instead of wooden bars. Vibraphones are most commonly seen as part of jazz ensembles.

Lionel Hampton was a jazz vibraphone player from Louisville, Kentucky. Benny Goodman invited Hampton in 1936 to join what is was then the Benny Goodman Trio. The resulting Benny Goodman Quartet also included Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa.

50. Econ. statistics GNPS
A country’s Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all services and products produced by its residents in a particular year. GNP includes all production wherever it is in the world, as long as the business is owned by residents of the country concerned. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is different, although related, and is the value of all services and goods produced within the borders of the country for that year.

53. Linguistic source of “pajamas” HINDI
Our word “pajamas” (“PJs” for short) comes to us from the Indian subcontinent, where “pai jamahs” were loose fitting pants tied at the waist and worn at night by locals and ultimately by the Europeans living there. And “pajamas” is another of those words that I had to learn to spell differently when I came to America. In the British Isles the spelling is “pyjamas”.

56. Ability scorned by many ESP
Extrasensory perception (ESP)

57. Best Western fishing amenities? MOTEL BROOKS (“Mel Brooks” + “OT”)
Best Western is the largest hotel chain in the world, with over 4,000 locations. The chain is a little unusual in that all of its properties are independently-owned franchises, with none being company-owned. Best Western was founded in 1946 and grew out of a small network of independent hotel operators who informally agreed to make referrals to each other’s properties.

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.

66. Business where lines are discouraged? BOTOX OFFICE (“box office” + “OT”)
Botulinum toxin is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The toxin is a protein that can cause botulism, an extremely dangerous illness in humans and animals. Botulinum toxin is sold under the trade name Botox. Botox is used therapeutically and in cosmetic applications to weaken muscles, perhaps muscles that are in uncontrollable spasm. The cosmetic application involves the paralyzing of facial muscles in order to eliminate or reduce wrinkles, at least for a few months.

The term “box office” may date back to Shakespearean times. In those days long past, patrons would deposit fees for seeing theater performances in boxes. The full boxes would be collected and placed in an office called, imaginatively enough, the “box office”.

72. Defunct carrier TWA
Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan-Am, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the acronym TWA) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.

73. Seller of chew toys PETCO
Petco is a chain of retail stores that sells live animals and pet supplies. The Petco logo includes the two company mascots, Red Ruff the dog and Blue Mews the cat.

74. From scratch ANEW
Apparently the phrase “start from scratch” arose in the world of sports, probably in cricket or boxing. A line would be scratched into the ground to indicate a starting point.

75. Secretary of Education Duncan ARNE
Long before Arne Duncan became Secretary of Education he was a professional basketball player, but not in the NBA. Duncan played for the National Basketball League of Australia, for the Eastside Spectres in Melbourne.

76. Shaft access ADIT
An adit is specific type of mine access, a horizontal shaft that extends into the mine. This can be compared with the more traditional vertical shaft that is used for access into most mines. Adits make sense when the ore is located inside a mountain or hill, as opposed to “underground”, as they allow the mine entrances to be on the valley floor.

79. Meir’s successor RABIN
Yitzhak Rabin was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, and the first Prime Minister to have been born in the relatively young state of Israel. Rabin was a signatory of the Oslo Accords in 1993, along with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and US President Bill Clinton. Sadly, this led to his death as he was assassinated two years later by a right-wing radical who opposed the Accords.

Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before that sobriquet came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.

82. Maker of Veriton computers ACER
I owned several Acer laptops, which were for my money the most reliable machine at the best price. Acer is a Taiwanese company that I used to visit a lot when I was in the electronics business. I was very impressed back then with the company’s dedication to quality, but have heard that things have gone so well in recent years …

84. “How could I not see that?!” D’OH!
“The Simpsons” is one of the most successful programs produced by the Fox Broadcasting Company. Homer Simpson’s catchphrase is “D’oh!”, which became such a famous exclamation that it has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) since 2001. “D’oh!” can be translated as “I should have thought of that!”

85. Assistant to millions SIRI
Siri is software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. You’ve probably seen the ads on television, with folks talking to their iPhones asking for information and responding with a voice. I hear that Google is a little scared by Siri, as Siri is non-visual. There’s no need to touch a screen or a keyboard to work with Siri, no opportunity to click on one of Google’s ads! By the way, voice-over artist Susan Bennett recently revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

87. Noodle variety SOBA
Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. In Japan, the word soba tends to be used to describe any thin noodle, in contrast with the thicker noodles that are called udon.

88. Child-friendly? SUITED TO A TOT (“suited to a T” + “OT”)
The expression “to a T”, meaning “exactly, perfectly”, can also be written as “to a tee”. It has been around at least since 1693.

92. Poppycock ROT
It is thought that the relatively gentle term “poppycock”, meaning “nonsense”, comes from a Dutch word for “dung” combined with a Latin word for “excrete”. Not so gentle after all …

95. European travel guide author Rick __ STEVES
Rick Steves hosts the TV show “Rick Steves” Europe that airs on public television stations.

96. Geek Squad pros TECHS
Best Buy is a retailer specializing in the supply of consumer electronics. Best Buy services include the famous “Geek Squad”, a band of technical experts that will help solve your computer and other consumer electronic problems.

98. First named Atlantic storm in 10 different years to date ARLENE
Hurricanes are given names primarily to help the public keep track dangerous systems. The names are decided ahead of the hurricane season, with the first system given a name beginning with A, the second, B etc. The names are alternated between male and female names throughout the season. Also, if the first storm of the season is male, then the following year a female name is chosen. For hurricanes in the North Atlantic, names are assigned for every letter, except Q, U, X, Y and Z. The most frequently used name is Arlene, which was used for ten different storms from 1959 to 2011.

100. Johann : “Sehr gut” :: Jacques : “__ bien” TRES
“Very good” is written as “Sehr gut” in German, and as “très bien” in French.

110. Dish name from the Tamil for “sauce” CURRY
Curry powder is a mixture of spices used in South Asian cuisine. The actual composition of curry powder varies depending on the cuisine. The term “curry” is an anglicization of the Tamil “kari” meaning “sauce”.

111. Stymies FOILS
The word “stymie” comes from golf, and is a situation in which one’s approach to the hole is blocked by an opponent’s ball.

112. Danny __, Shel Silverstein’s “dancin’ bear” O’DARE
Here are the first few lines of the poem “Danny O’Dare” by Shel Silverstein:

Danny O’Dare, the dancin’ bear,
Ran away from the County Fair,
Ran right up to my back stair
And thought he’d do some dancin’ there.
He started jumpin’ and skippin’ and kickin’,
He did a dance called the Funky Chicken,
He did the Polka, he did the Twist,
He bent himself into a pretzel like this.

Author Shel Silverstein had a varied career and did a lot more than write books. Silverstein was a poet, composer, cartoonist and screenwriter among other things. One of his successful children’s books is “The Giving Tree”, which was first published in 1964. “The Giving Tree” tells of a young boy who has a special relationship with a tree in a forest. The message of the book seems to be that the tree provides the little boy with everything he needs.

113. Crookshanks, in Harry Potter fiction CAT
In the “Harry Potter” universe, Crookshanks is a pet cat owned by Harry’s schoolmate Hermione Granger.

114. Moves it HIES
“To hie” is to move quickly, to bolt.

Down
1. Pilates class array MATS
Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, Joseph Pilates. Pilates introduced his system of exercises in 1883 in Germany.

2. Zwei quadrupled ACHT
In German, “vier” (four) times “zwei” (two) is “acht” (eight).

3. First Nations tribe CREE
The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US most of the Cree nation live in Montana on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

“First Nations” is a term used in Canada describing the ethnicity of Native Americans who are neither Inuit nor Métis people.

5. Hope venues for 50 yrs. USO SHOWS
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.

I remember my first non-business visit to Los Angeles. I was a typical tourist and bought a map showing the homes of the stars and drove around Beverly Hills absorbing all the glitz. At one point I drove past a Rolls Royce that was stopped in oncoming traffic, waiting to make a left turn. The window was down, and the driver was puffing away on a big cigar. It was none other than Bob Hope. Seeing him there right beside me, that was a big thrill …

6. Ancient Chinese sage LAO TSE
Lao Tse (also Lao-Tzu) was a central figure in the development of the religion/philosophy of Taoism.

7. Latin dating word ANNO
Anno (plural “anni”) is the Latin for “year”.

8. It merged with WorldCom in 1998 MCI
MCI was a giant telecom company that suffered a similar fate to Enron, and around about the same time. MCI’s stock price fell in 2000 and in maneuvers designed to protect the price, the company committed illegal acts. The larger-than-life CEO back then, Bernie Ebbers, is now serving a 25-year sentence in Louisiana.

12. Beth preceder ALEF
Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and beth the second.

13. TV Land fare RERUN
TV Land is a cable television channel that debuted in 1996. “TV Land” is a name that was used by Nick at Nite in the eighties, and is a term originally coined by “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show”.

14. Spoils at your neighbor’s house? THE BOOTY NEXT DOOR (“the boy next door” + “OT”)
“Booty”, meaning plunder or profit, is derived from the Old French word “butin” which has the same meaning.

15. Defunct self-serve eatery AUTOMAT
An automat is a fast food restaurant that was popular in the first half of the 20th century. The original automat was established in Berlin, but the concept took off in the US. However, our modern fast food restaurants virtually wiped out automats starting in the fifties.

18. Like Pluto, once NINTH
Pluto was discovered in 1930, and was welcomed as the ninth planet in our solar system. Pluto is relatively small in size, just one fifth of the mass of our own moon. In the seventies, astronomers began to discover more large objects in the solar system, including Eris, a “scattered disc object” at the outer reaches. Given that Eris is actually bigger than Pluto, and other objects really aren’t that much smaller, Pluto’s status as a planet was drawn into question. In 2006 there was a scientific definition for a “planet” agreed for the first time, resulting in Pluto being relegated to the status of “dwarf planet”, along with Eris.

19. Exodus high point SINAI
According to the Bible, Mount Sinai is the mountain on which Moses was given the Ten Commandments. The Biblical Mount Sinai is probably not the mountain in Egypt that today has the same name, although this is the subject of much debate. The Egyptian Mount Sinai has two developed routes that one can take to reach the summit. The longer gentler climb takes about 2 1/2 hours, but there is also the steeper climb up the 3,750 “steps of penitence”.

30. Antarctic sight FLOE
An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the ocean.

31. Outback fare STEAKS
Outback Steakhouse is a chain of restaurants that was established in 1987, with the first Outback opening in Tampa, Florida. Outback serves largely American food in an Australian-themed dining locale.

34. ’60s-’70s TV detective IRONSIDE
“Ironside” is a classic police television drama that first ran from 1967 to 1975. Star of the show is Raymond Burr playing the partially paralyzed former Chief of Detectives Robert T. Ironside. Ironside was forced to retire from the SFPD when he was shot by a sniper, but ended up as special consultant to the police department.

35. Did away with voting? DROPPED THE BALLOT (“dropped the ball” + “OT”)
Today a “ballot” is a piece of paper used to cast a vote. Back in the 1500s, a “ballot” was a small “ball” used in the process of voting.

37. Fact-checking can help avoid it LIBEL
The word “libel”, meaning a published or written statement likely to harm a person’s reputation, comes into English from the Latin “libellus”, the word for a small book. Back in the 1500s “libel” was just a formal written statement, with the more damaging meaning arising in the 1600s.

38. Haute couture initials YSL
Yves Saint-Laurent (YSL) was a French fashion designer, actually born in Algeria. Saint-Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint-Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from prison, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

“Haute couture”, literally “high dressmaking” in French, is a name given to the creation of exclusive fashions. A couturier is someone who creates or sells such fashions.

47. Harry’s successor IKE
General Dwight D. Eisenhower (“Ike”) was in command of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during WWII. If you’re a WWII buff like me, then I recommend you take a look at a great, made-for-TV movie starring Tom Selleck as Eisenhower called “Ike: Countdown to D-Day” that came out in 2004.

Harry Truman wanted to go to West Point having served with the Missouri Army National Guard on active duty in WWI, but he couldn’t get in because of his poor eyesight. Young Truman didn’t have the money to pay for college anywhere else. He did manage to study for two years towards a law degree at the Kansas City Law School in the twenties, but he never finished his schooling. So, Harry S. Truman was the last US President (out of a list of ten) who did not have a college degree.

48. Status __ QUO
“Status quo” translates from Latin as “state in which”, and in English is used to mean the existing condition or state of affairs.

51. Flimflam CON
“Flimflam” is another word for a confidence trick. The term has been in use since the 1500s, would you believe?

52. Possum pal of Porky Pine POGO
“Pogo” is a comic strip that was launched in 1948, the creation of cartoonist Walt Kelly. The story centers on animals that live in the Okefenokee Swamp on the Georgia-Florida border, with the title character “Pogo Possum” being an anthropomorphic opossum.

57. Nincompoop MORON
The word “nincompoop”, meaning a fool, seems to have been around for quite a while. It has been used since the 1670s, but no one appears to know its origins.

59. “Toy Story” dinosaur REX
In the excellent film “Toy Story”, Rex is a tyrannosaurus, and a pretty clumsy one. He is voiced by actor Wallace Shawn, whose name is perhaps less familiar than his face. Shawn played the neighbor on “The Cosby Show” as well as many, many other supporting roles on TV and the big screen.

62. Work on a tree, maybe DECORATE
The custom of decorating trees at Christmas seems to have originated in Renaissance Germany. Those first trees were placed in guildhalls and were decorated with sweets and candy for the apprentices and children. After the Protestant Reformation, the Christmas tree became an alternative in Protestant homes for the Roman Catholic Christmas cribs. The Christmas tree tradition was imported into Britain by the royal family because of its German heritage. That tradition spread from Britain into North America.

64. Blackjack need ACE
The game of “twenty-one” was first referred to in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing “Don Quixote”. He called the game “ventiuna” (Spanish for “twenty-one”). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn’t all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker “Blackjack”.

66. Gulf Coast environs BAYOUS
The exact origins of the term “bayou” is uncertain, but it is thought perhaps to come from the Choctaw (a Native American people from the southeast) word “bayuk”, meaning “small stream”.

67. Nearly flawless diamond highlights ONE-HITTERS
That would on a baseball diamond …

68. Red Sox legend Williams TED
As well as playing in left field for the Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams served as a pilot in the Marine Corps in World War II and the Korean War.

69. One-named Milanese model FABIO
Fabio Lanzoni (usually called just “Fabio”) is an Italian fashion model and all-round celebrity. Fabio’s real claim to fame was his appearance on the cover of many, many romance novels in the eighties and nineties.

71. Holiday __ INN
The first Holiday Inn hotel was opened in 1952. The name for the hotel chain was inspired by the 1942 movie “Holiday Inn” starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.

76. Wall St. hedger ARB
“Arb” is short for an arbitrageur, one who profits from the purchase of securities in one market and the subsequent sale in another, hence taking advantage of price discrepancies across markets.

78. Script fixers, for short EDS
Editor (ed.)

79. Gets out of Dodge RIDES OFF
The phrase “get out of Dodge”, meaning “scram, flee”, is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas. The phrase became a cliche on TV westerns (mainly “Gunsmoke”, I think) and was then popularized by teenagers in the sixties and seventies.

82. Like some lions ASIATIC
Most Asiatic lions are found in northwestern India.

83. Contest with picadors CORRIDA
Spanish bullfighting is known locally as “corrida de toros”, literally “race of bulls”.

In Spanish bullfighting, picadors are horsemen that take on a bull in pairs, using lances to jab the poor creature. The picadors have a specific job, to lacerate the muscle on the back of the bull’s neck and to fatigue him before the toreros (bullfighters) are let loose.

86. “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Mo ROCCA
Mo Rocca is a humorist and journalist who is perhaps best known for his appearances on “CBS Sunday Morning”. He had gotten his start in television appearing on the Comedy Channel’s “The Daily Show”. My wife and I listen to him on the excellent NPR quiz show “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”

89. Absorbent cloth TERRY
Terry cloth is a fabric designed to absorb lots of liquid. The fabric has relatively large loops of thread that improve the absorption properties. The larger the loop, the more thread, the better the absorption.

90. Micronesia components ATOLLS
An atoll is a coral island that is shaped in a ring and enclosing a lagoon. There is still some debate as to how an atoll forms, but a theory proposed by Charles Darwin while on his famous voyage aboard HMS Beagle still holds sway. Basically an atoll was once a volcanic island that had subsided and fallen into the sea. The coastline of the island is home to coral growth which persists even as the island continues to subside internal to the circling coral reef.

Micronesia is one of the three island regions of Oceania, along with Polynesia and Melanesia. The sovereign nations included in the region are the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Palau. Also in Micronesia are the US territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Wake Island.

94. Father of Methuselah ENOCH
According to the Bible, Enoch was the great-grandfather of Noah, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandson of Adam.

Methuselah was the son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah, and the man in the Bible who is reported to have lived the longest. Methuselah passed away seven days before the onset of the Great Flood, and tradition holds that he was 969 years old when he died.

97. Blue shoe material of song SUEDE
“Blue Suede Shoes” was written and first recorded by Carl Perkins, in 1955. The idea for the song was given to him by Johnny Cash. Cash had been serving with the military in Germany and there met an airman who referred to his military regulation air shoes as “blue suede shoes”. The idea was reinforced when Perkins heard a young man who was dancing say to his partner, “Don’t step on my suede shoes”. Perkins version of the song was very, very successful, actually “going gold” in sales. Elvis Presley’s version of course did even better.

99. Needle holder ETUI
An etui is an ornamental case used to hold small items, in particular sewing needles. We imported both the case design and the word “etui” from France. The French also have a modern usage of “etui”, using the term to depict a case for carrying CDs.

102. Antismoking TV spots, e.g. PSAS
Public service announcement (PSA)

103. Alberto’s alternative, with “el” OTRO
In Spanish, if it’s not “esto” (this) or “eso” (that) then it’s the “otro” (other).

104. Omsk objection NYET
“Nyet” is Russian for “no”, and “da” is Russian for “yes”.

Omsk is a city in southwest Siberia. It is located over 1400 miles from Moscow and was chosen as the destination for many internal exiles in the mid-1900s. Perhaps the most famous of these exiles was the author Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

107. Charlemagne’s realm: Abbr. HRE
The Holy Roman Empire (HRE) existed from 962 to 1806 AD and was a territory of varying size over the centuries that centered on the Kingdom of Germany. The HRE was a successor to the western half of the Ancient Roman Empire.

Pepin the Short (aka Pepin the Younger, Pepin III) was Duke of the Franks from 751 to 768. Pepin expanded the Frankish Empire and then law dictated that he had to leave the Empire divided between his two sons, Carloman I and Charlemagne. Carloman I was given lands that were centered around Paris, and Charlemagne was given lands that completely surrounded his brothers territory. So it fell to Charlemagne to defend and extend the borders of the empire. It is because of this division of power that it’s Charlemagne who we read about today, not Carloman I. It was Emperor Charlemagne who in effect founded the Holy Roman Empire.

108. “As __ Like It” YOU
“As You Like It” is one of Shakespeare’s comedies, the tale of Rosalind fleeing from her Uncle’s court along with her cousin Celia and the court jester Touchstone. Rosalind lives in exile in the Forest of Arden, disguised as a male shepherd called Ganymede. The play is perhaps most memorable for an oft-quoted monologue that starts with:

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. __ Picchu MACHU
6. Library fixture LAMP
10. Early name in late TV PAAR
14. Bit TAD
17. They help define a lot ACRES
18. “Eraserhead” star Jack NANCE
19. __ à manger: dining room SALLE
20. Pink, for example HUE
21. Cold weather moisturizer? THE LOTION IN WINTER (“The Lion in Winter” + “OT”)
24. “More of the same” letters ETC
25. Boards STEPS ONTO
26. Trig function SINE
27. Real Madrid’s game FUTBOL
29. Bar offerings SHOTS
30. Campus challenges FINALS
32. Judd of country music NAOMI
33. Freed (of) RID
36. Moor’s money pool? OTHELLO KITTY (“Hello Kitty” + “OT”)
39. Zen paradox KOAN
40. Features of some traffic signals ARROWS
42. Charged atoms IONS
43. Hi-__ image RES
44. Mini- analog -ETTE
45. Sheltered spots NOOKS
46. Lionel Hampton’s instrument VIBES
48. Fulfill the requirements QUALIFY
50. Econ. statistics GNPS
51. Target of icing CAKE
52. Target of icing PUCK
53. Linguistic source of “pajamas” HINDI
56. Ability scorned by many ESP
57. Best Western fishing amenities? MOTEL BROOKS (“Mel Brooks” + “OT”)
60. Unhidden OVERT
61. Affixed, in a way TIED ON
63. Voyage segment LEG
64. Top spots APEXES
65. Not as expected ODDER
66. Business where lines are discouraged? BOTOX OFFICE (“box office” + “OT”)
72. Defunct carrier TWA
73. Seller of chew toys PETCO
74. From scratch ANEW
75. Secretary of Education Duncan ARNE
76. Shaft access ADIT
77. Flattering HONEYED
79. Meir’s successor RABIN
81. Go on and on, with “on” DRONE
82. Maker of Veriton computers ACER
84. “How could I not see that?!” D’OH!
85. Assistant to millions SIRI
86. Some factory workers ROBOTS
87. Noodle variety SOBA
88. Child-friendly? SUITED TO A TOT (“suited to a T” + “OT”)
92. Poppycock ROT
93. Steaming IRATE
95. European travel guide author Rick __ STEVES
96. Geek Squad pros TECHS
98. First named Atlantic storm in 10 different years to date ARLENE
100. Johann : “Sehr gut” :: Jacques : “__ bien” TRES
101. Compel to accept, as ideas FORCE UPON
105. Up to, on invites ‘TIL
106. Queen’s body double? OTHER ROYAL MAJESTY (“Her Royal Majesty” + “OT”)
109. Words with a certain ring I DO
110. Dish name from the Tamil for “sauce” CURRY
111. Stymies FOILS
112. Danny __, Shel Silverstein’s “dancin’ bear” O’DARE
113. Crookshanks, in Harry Potter fiction CAT
114. Moves it HIES
115. Animal rights issue FURS
116. Utterly enchant BESOT

Down
1. Pilates class array MATS
2. Zwei quadrupled ACHT
3. First Nations tribe CREE
4. Makes it easier HELPS
5. Hope venues for 50 yrs. USO SHOWS
6. Ancient Chinese sage LAO TSE
7. Latin dating word ANNO
8. It merged with WorldCom in 1998 MCI
9. Retirement plans PENSIONS
10. Classic delivery vehicle PANEL TRUCK
11. Space bar neighbor ALT
12. Beth preceder ALEF
13. TV Land fare RERUN
14. Spoils at your neighbor’s house? THE BOOTY NEXT DOOR (“the boy next door” + “OT”)
15. Defunct self-serve eatery AUTOMAT
16. Just say no DECLINE
18. Like Pluto, once NINTH
19. Exodus high point SINAI
22. Attention-getters on the road TOOTS
23. Attention-getters at a bar WINKS
28. Relax TAKE FIVE
30. Antarctic sight FLOE
31. Outback fare STEAKS
33. Kitchen remodeling selection RANGE TOP
34. ’60s-’70s TV detective IRONSIDE
35. Did away with voting? DROPPED THE BALLOT (“dropped the ball” + “OT”)
37. Fact-checking can help avoid it LIBEL
38. Haute couture initials YSL
41. Gives a thumbs-up OKS
46. Brewery container VAT
47. Harry’s successor IKE
48. Status __ QUO
49. Wishful words I HOPE
51. Flimflam CON
52. Possum pal of Porky Pine POGO
54. Gradually made a member of DREW INTO
55. “Just checking the alarm, folks” IT’S A TEST
57. Nincompoop MORON
58. Squander BLOW
59. “Toy Story” dinosaur REX
62. Work on a tree, maybe DECORATE
64. Blackjack need ACE
66. Gulf Coast environs BAYOUS
67. Nearly flawless diamond highlights ONE-HITTERS
68. Red Sox legend Williams TED
69. One-named Milanese model FABIO
70. Calendar abbr. FRI
71. Holiday __ INN
76. Wall St. hedger ARB
78. Script fixers, for short EDS
79. Gets out of Dodge RIDES OFF
80. Applied __ ARTS
81. Get it finished DO THE JOB
82. Like some lions ASIATIC
83. Contest with picadors CORRIDA
85. Cut SEVER
86. “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Mo ROCCA
89. Absorbent cloth TERRY
90. Micronesia components ATOLLS
91. Periods in sentences TERMS
94. Father of Methuselah ENOCH
97. Blue shoe material of song SUEDE
99. Needle holder ETUI
101. Pretty, maidenwise FAIR
102. Antismoking TV spots, e.g. PSAS
103. Alberto’s alternative, with “el” OTRO
104. Omsk objection NYET
107. Charlemagne’s realm: Abbr. HRE
108. “As __ Like It” YOU

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10 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 28 Feb 16, Sunday”

  1. From Friday: Thanks all for the responses. It's not so much a frustration in doing the grids themselves, but something turning into a burden and not a joy, as everything seems to turn into for one reason or another. Like I said before, lots of stressors.

    DNF'd the Saturday grid, but actually got into the NYT Saturday grid and finished it so there's that.

    As for this one, started it yesterday, finding it very difficult and probably will DNF it. The paper here doesn't credit constructors on the daily grids, but since I came here and realized that Wechsler did it, it explains an awful lot. There's two other 21x21s to do though (beside the Reagle re-run), so I'll probably do at least one tomorrow.

    Have fun and good luck. You'll need it.

  2. Story as well: I wanted to find out where the "Sunday daily" came from, so I started searching clues (which is all I had). That's how I happened upon this place in the first place (if people wanted to know).

  3. Putting a Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle in a Sunday paper surely must be heresy in somebody's religion doesn't it? Tough. I ran out of time and patience on this one so I cheated. But I'm going to pretend like I would have finished it if I had more time. A lot of new stuff to me e.g. KOAN and ADIT. I got the theme the second I read the title of the puzzle so that helped a little. A lot of clever cluing even on the easier answers.

    The clue for 14D could have gone off in a completely different direction. Kudos to JW for taking the high road… 🙂

    I don't know how many episodes of Rick Steve's Europe have been made, but I've seen an awful lot of them. They're wonderful – especially if you have traveled or wish to travel in Europe at some point.

    I was reading the Mel Brooks bit and was surprised to think John Gielgud won a Grammy at some point. Sure enough – a children's album of "The Emperer's New Clothes" in 1992. Go figure. His memorable portrayal of Hobson in the movie Arthur is how I know him. What a voice.

    Best –

  4. A weekend with Julian Lim and Jeffrey Wechsler. (ugh)
    Got absolutely nowhere yesterday.
    Today I was 4 letters short.
    Why was I thinking THE LION OF WINTER?
    That messed up everything.
    OThello kitty gave me a chuckle.

  5. I am super excited to say that after years of doing the LA times crossword, I have finally completed the Sunday puzzle with no hints! Took me almost 2 hours, but I really enjoyed the theme of the puzzle, and it helped a lot. I took educated guesses on the very last few letters, and thankfully they were all right this time.

    @jeff: I've used Rick Steves tours while in Europe – they're great!

    @pookie: So close! Good job on getting that far!

  6. I had empty spaces in Futbol and Koan, but hey, for a Sunday I did great.
    I thought Real Madrid was probably a rapper!
    Rick Steves is great!

    Bella

  7. I'm glad Wechsler geared this puzzle toward Sunday — it seemed slightly easier than his late-week grids. That said, of course I cheated copiously to finish the thing– and I still have a coupla blank squares.
    But I knew ENOCH, something I JUST LEARNED TODAY!! I suspect that all my (nonsectarian) Bible study lately will pay off on crosswords. Never did have a good Bible background….I finally decided to improve on that–but I'm pretty well versed on MANY topics! Don't go thinking I ain't smart!!:-
    Congrats to Dave K and Andrew for finishing this bear of a puzzle. A lot of the fill wasn't too bad, but I never would have gotten the theme if I hadn't peeked at Bill's answers early on.
    Glad it's Monday…
    Sweet dreams~~™

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