LA Times Crossword Answers 9 Mar 16, Wednesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Computer whose 27-inch version has a Retina 5K display IMAC
“Retina display” is a brand name used by Apple for screens that have a high enough pixel density so that individual pixels are not visible to the naked eye at normal viewing distance.

9. Rum-soaked cakes BABAS
Rum baba (also “baba au rhum” in French) is a small yeast cake saturated in rum, and sometimes filled with whipped cream. Rum baba is derived from the recipe for the tall “babka” yeast cake that was introduced to the world by the Polish communities. The Polish words “baba” and “babka” mean “old woman” or “grandmother” in English. I guess someone must have thought that all grandmothers were saturated in rum!

14. Part of rock’s CSNY NASH
The supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) is made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. The band can grow to “CSNY” when the trio is joined by Neil Young. Fans have been known to call the act “C, S, N and sometimes Y”, a play on the expression that names all the vowels, “A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y”.

16. Eel, to a sushi chef UNAGI
Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, and unadon is the Japanese word for “eel bowl”. Unadon is actually a contraction of “unagi no kabayaki” (grilled eel) and “donburi” (rice bowl dish).

19. 13-Down actress Normand MABEL
(13D. Films that usually had live music SILENTS)
Mabel Normand was a comedy actress in the days of silent films. perhaps more importantly, later in her career she became one of the first female screenwriters, producers and directors. Normand was so successful off the screen that she had her own movie studio and production company in the twenties.

20. Miracle-__ GRO
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company was founded in 1868 by one Orlando Scott, initially selling seed to the agricultural industry. In the early 1900s, Scotts started to sell to homeowners, mainly supplying lawn seed. The company merged with the gardening company Miracle-Gro in 1955.

23. Medical screening system TRIAGE
“Triage” is the process of prioritizing patients for treatment, especially on a battlefield. The term “triage” is French and means “a sorting”.

27. Fiver FIN
The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

28. *Risqué OFF-COLOR
“Risqué” is a French word, the past participle of the verb “to risk”. So in English we use “risqué” to mean “racy”, but in French it means “risky”.

31. Hill-building stinger RED ANT
Fire ants are stinging ants, many species of which are called red ants. Most stinging ants bite their prey and then spray acid on the wound. The fire ant however, bites to hold on and then injects an alkaloid venom from its abdomen, creating a burning sensation in humans that have been nipped.

33. LAX summer setting PDT
Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

34. Director Kazan ELIA
Elia Kazan won Oscars for best director in 1948 for “Gentleman’s Agreement” and in 1955 for “On The Waterfront”. In 1999 Kazan was given an Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also directed “East of Eden”, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences, and “Splendor in the Grass” that included Warren Beatty in his debut role.

36. “Blue Bloods” actor Will ESTES
The actor Will Estes played JJ Pryor on the TV drama “American Dreams” and now plays Jamie Reagan on the police drama “Blue Bloods”.

37. *Weight-training exercise BICEP CURL
The biceps muscle is made up of two bundles of muscle, both of which terminate at the same point near the elbow. The heads of the bundles terminate at different points on the scapula or shoulder blade. “Biceps” is Latin for “two-headed”.

43. 1956 Mideast crisis site SUEZ
The Suez Crisis of 1956 came about when President Nasser of Egypt decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, a response to a withdrawal of funds by Britain and the US for the building of the Aswan Dam. Egypt then refused to allow any Israeli shipping the use the canal. With British and French support, Israel invaded the Sinai in October 1956, starting the military conflict. Combined British, French and Israeli forces eventually took control of the Suez Canal, which was viewed as a military success but a political disaster. The United Nations, led by the US, pressured the British, French and Israelis to withdraw.

44. Mensa concerns IQS
If you ever learned Latin, “mensa” was probably taught to you in lesson one as it’s the word commonly used as an example of a first declension noun. Mensa means “table”. The Mensa organization, for folks with high IQs, was set up in Oxford, England back in 1946. To become a member, you have to have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population.

47. Hometown of the Ivy League’s Big Red ITHACA
Big Red is the name given to the athletic teams of Cornell University.

Ezra Cornell was an associate of Samuel Morse and made his money in the telegraph business. After he retired he co-founded Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He provided a generous endowment and donated his farm as a site for the school, and was then rewarded by having the institute named after him.

52. Chinese menu general TSO
General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

53. Nev. neighbor IDA
The state of Nevada (Nev.) borders Idaho (Ida.).

56. *Brand created in Toronto in 1904 CANADA DRY
Canada Dry’s first beverage was called Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale. The word “dry” was used in the name of the drink to underscore that the formulation was less sweet than other ginger ales on sale.

60. Chow line? ARF!
The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …

62. Permanent place, and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues HAIR SALON
“Perm” is the name given to a permanent wave, a chemical or thermal treatment of hair to produce waves or curls. I don’t worry about such things, as it’s a number-one all over for me …

66. “__ Black” MEN IN
“Men in black” are said to have appeared in the past whenever there have been reports of UFO sightings. Supposedly, these men are government agents whose job it is to suppress reports of alien landings. The conspiracy theorists got their day in the movies with the release of a pretty good sci-fi comedy in 1997 called “Men in Black”, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

67. River to the English Channel ORNE
The English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, the narrow part that separates the south of England from northern France. The French call the same body of water “La Manche”, which translates literally as “the sleeve”. At its narrowest point the Channel is just over 20 miles wide, and it indeed possible to see France from England and vice versa. Nowadays of course there is a tunnel under the channel making travel extremely convenient. When I was living and working in Europe, with the help of the Channel Tunnel, one day I had a breakfast meeting in Brussels, a lunch meeting in London, and a dinner meeting in Paris. It’s more fun sitting here doing the crossword though …

69. Brown ermine STOAT
The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

71. 52 Pickup need DECK
Nominally, 52 Pickup is a card game. It might better be described as a practical joke. The joker asks his or her opponent, “Have you ever played the card game 52 Pickup?”. If the answer is “No”, then the joker/dealer throws the deck of cards into the air, leaving them strewn over the floor. The opponent has to pick them all up.

Down
4. President before Sarkozy CHIRAC
Jacques Chirac served as French President from 1995 to 2007. He also served twice as Prime Minister of France, and as the Mayor of Paris. At the end of 2011, Chirac was found guilty of embezzling public funds and was given a 2-year suspended sentence.

Nicolas Sarkozy was President of France from 2007 to 2012. Sarkozy’s wife is perhaps as famous as the President himself. He married the singer-songwriter Carla Bruni at the Élysée Palace in 2008.

5. Digression lead-in, in texts BTW
By the way (BTW)

7. Cold War initials USSR
The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

The term “Cold War” was first used by the novelist George Orwell in a 1945 essay about the atomic bomb. Orwell described a world under threat of nuclear war as having a “peace that is no peace”, in a permanent state of “cold war”. The specific use of “cold war” to describe the tension between the Eastern bloc and the Western allies is attributed to a 1947 speech by Bernard Baruch.

8. Early anesthetic ETHER
Ethers are a whole class of organic compounds, but in the vernacular “ether” is specifically diethyl ether. Diethyl ether was once very popular as a general anesthetic.

9. Foul tip? BUM STEER
“Bum steer” is a slang term meaning “misleading advice”.

12. Botox target AGE LINE
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.

23. Bikini part TOP
The origin of the name “bikini”, a type of bathing suit, seems very uncertain. My favorite story is that it is named after the Bikini Atoll, site of American A-bomb tests in the forties and fifties. The name “bikini” was chosen for the swim-wear because of the “explosive” effect it had on men who saw a woman wearing the garment!

24. Country mail svc. RFD
Rural Free Delivery (RFD) was started in the US in 1891. Prior to RFD, rural Americans had to travel to the nearest post office to pick up their mail.

29. Chihuahua cheers OLES
Chihuahua is a state in northern Mexico that shares a border with Texas and New Mexico. Chihuahua is the largest state in the country, so has the nickname “El Estado Grande”. The state takes its name from the Chihuahuan Desert which lies largely within its borders. And of course the Chihuahua breed of dog takes its name from the state.

32. ISP option DSL
The abbreviation “DSL” originally stood for Digital Subscriber Loop, but is now accepted to mean (Asymmetric) Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is the technology that allows Internet service be delivered down the same telephone line as voice service, by separating the two into different frequency signals.

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet.

39. Israeli guns UZIS
The first Uzi submachine gun was designed in the late 1940s by Major Uziel “Uzi” Gal of the Israel Defense Forces, who gave his name to the gun.

40. “Maude,” “Phyllis” and “Rhoda” SITCOMS
The seventies sitcom “Maude” starred Bea Arthur as the title character Maude Findlay. “Maude” was a spin-off of “All in the Family”, as Findlay is a cousin of Edith Bunker.

Phyllis Lindstrom is played by Cloris Leachman in the TV show “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. Phyllis is married to dermatologist Dr. Lars Lindstrom, a character who is unseen on the show. Leachman rated a a spin-off show in 1975, called “Phyllis” which was set not in Minneapolis, but San Francisco. Phyllis relocated to San Francisco with her daughter after the death of husband Lars.

The seventies sitcom “Rhoda” was a spinoff of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” that starred Valerie Harper. The eighth episode of the show was an hour-long special in which Rhoda married her fiance Joe (played by David Groh). At the time of airing it was the second-most watched television episode in history, second only to the 1953 birth of Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy”.

44. Frozen floater ICE FLOE
An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the ocean.

45. “¿__ pasa?” QUE
In Spanish, “qué pasa?” literally translates as “what’s happening?” but is used to mean “how are things going with you?”

46. Beale and Bourbon: Abbr. STS
Beale Street in downtown Memphis, Tennessee is a major tourist attraction. In 1977, by act of Congress, the street was officially declared the “Home of the Blues” due to its long association with the musical genre. Apparently “Beale” is the name of some forgotten military hero.

When New Orleans was founded by the French, the House of Bourbon was ruling France. Bourbon Street was named in its honor.

48. Canine care gp.? ADA
American Dental Association (ADA)

The canine teeth of a mammal are also called the eye teeth. The name “canine” is used because these particular teeth are very prominent in dogs. The name “eye” is used because in humans the eye teeth are located in the upper jaw, directly below the eyes.

50. Tax time VIPs CPAS
Certified public accountant (CPA)

54. For this purpose AD HOC
The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”.

57. Pacific Rim continent ASIA
The phrase “Pacific Rim” describes the countries that surround the Pacific Ocean. The related phrase “Pacific Basin” includes the islands in the Pacific Ocean, in addition to the Pacific Rim nations.

58. Avis modifier RARA
A “rara avis” is anything that is very rare, and is Latin for “rare bird”.

59. Hip-hop’s __ Yang Twins YING
The Ying Yang Twins are a hip hop duo consisting of Kaine and D-Roc. I have no clue …

63. King of Spain REY
“El rey” is Spanish for “the king”.

64. Non-Rx OTC
Over-the-counter (OTC)

There seems to some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol “Rx” that’s used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter’s blessing to help a patient recover.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Computer whose 27-inch version has a Retina 5K display IMAC
5. Down in the mouth BLUE
9. Rum-soaked cakes BABAS
14. Part of rock’s CSNY NASH
15. Midterm, e.g. TEST
16. Eel, to a sushi chef UNAGI
17. *Seriously indoctrinate BRAINWASH
19. 13-Down actress Normand MABEL
20. Miracle-__ GRO
21. *Improvised rap FREESTYLE
23. Medical screening system TRIAGE
26. Tell (on) RAT
27. Fiver FIN
28. *Risqué OFF-COLOR
31. Hill-building stinger RED ANT
33. LAX summer setting PDT
34. Director Kazan ELIA
36. “Blue Bloods” actor Will ESTES
37. *Weight-training exercise BICEP CURL
40. Nurse at a bar SIP ON
43. 1956 Mideast crisis site SUEZ
44. Mensa concerns IQS
47. Hometown of the Ivy League’s Big Red ITHACA
49. *Markdown PRICE CUT
52. Chinese menu general TSO
53. Nev. neighbor IDA
55. Binges SPREES
56. *Brand created in Toronto in 1904 CANADA DRY
60. Chow line? ARF!
61. More than chubby OBESE
62. Permanent place, and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues HAIR SALON
66. “__ Black” MEN IN
67. River to the English Channel ORNE
68. “Don’t look at me” NOT I
69. Brown ermine STOAT
70. Hard to box in, ironically CAGY
71. 52 Pickup need DECK

Down
1. Having five sharps, musically IN B
2. Scratch, say MAR
3. At no cost AS A GIFT
4. President before Sarkozy CHIRAC
5. Digression lead-in, in texts BTW
6. Table extension LEAF
7. Cold War initials USSR
8. Early anesthetic ETHER
9. Foul tip? BUM STEER
10. Med. school subject ANAT
11. Newborn’s natural insulator BABY FAT
12. Botox target AGE LINE
13. Films that usually had live music SILENTS
18. Scrubbed, at NASA NO-GO
22. Word with bud or flap EAR
23. Bikini part TOP
24. Country mail svc. RFD
25. Utility abbr. ELEC
29. Chihuahua cheers OLES
30. Tear to pieces RIP UP
32. ISP option DSL
35. Service pro ACER
37. Feathery neckwear BOA
38. Contentious border happening INCIDENT
39. Israeli guns UZIS
40. “Maude,” “Phyllis” and “Rhoda” SITCOMS
41. “You’re on!” IT’S A BET!
42. Dir. assistance info PHONE NO
44. Frozen floater ICE FLOE
45. “¿__ pasa?” QUE
46. Beale and Bourbon: Abbr. STS
48. Canine care gp.? ADA
50. Tax time VIPs CPAS
51. Thing to run ERRAND
54. For this purpose AD HOC
57. Pacific Rim continent ASIA
58. Avis modifier RARA
59. Hip-hop’s __ Yang Twins YING
63. King of Spain REY
64. Non-Rx OTC
65. Neat ending? -NIK

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