LA Times Crossword Answers 7 Dec 15, Monday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Supplier of fake tunnels to Wile E. Coyote ACME
The Acme Corporation is a fictional company used mainly by Looney Tunes, and within the Looney Tunes empire it was used mostly in the “Road Runner” cartoons. Wile E. Coyote was always receiving a new piece of gear from Acme designed to finally capture the Road Runner, but the equipment always led to his downfall instead.

Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are two much-loved cartoon characters from Warner Bros. Wile E. Coyote was created first, and Road Runner was invented as someone for Wile E. to play off. I love this cartoon; definitely one of the best …

9. Attempt to scam using email PHISH
Phishing is the name given to the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a play on the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PIN numbers etc.”

14. Small songbird WREN
A wren is a small songbird belonging to the family troglodytidae and the genus troglodytes.

16. Saul Bellow’s “The Adventures of __ March” AUGIE
“The Adventures of Augie March” is a novel by Saul Bellow published first in 1953. The story tells of a young man growing up during the Great Depression.

Saul Bellow was the only writer to have won the National Book Award three times, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976. Bellow was a Canadian-born American writer, and among his most famous works were “Herzog” and “Humboldt’s Gift”.

17. *One held above criticism SACRED COW (giving “cowbell”)
A “sacred cow” is something that is immune from criticism or questioning. The phrase alludes to the reverence for cows in the Hindu tradition. The use of figurative idiom seems to have originated in the late 1800s in the US.

19. Gossip spreader YENTA
Yenta (also “Yente”) is actually a female Yiddish name. In Yiddish theater “yenta” came to mean a busybody.

23. 1953 Alan Ladd Western SHANE
The classic 1953 western movie called “Shane” was based on the novel of the same name by Jack Schaefer published in 1949. Alan Ladd had a rough end to his life. In 1962 he was found unconscious in a pool of blood with a bullet wound in his chest, an abortive suicide attempt. Two years later he was found dead, apparently having died from an accidental overdose of drugs and sedatives. He was 50 years old.

24. Subject in which Freud is studied, briefly PSYCH
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist, and founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. One of Freud’s tenets was that our dreams are a necessary part of sleep as they prevent the dreamer from awakening due to desire for unfulfilled wishes. The dream’s content represents those unfulfilled wishes and satisfies the desire.

26. Ballpoint, for one PEN
The ballpoint pen was invented by László Bíró in the late thirties, a Hungarian newspaper editor. Over in Ireland we use the term “biro” as a generic word for “ballpoint pen”.

29. Popular thesaurus ROGET’S
Peter Mark Roget was an English lexicographer. Roget was an avid maker of lists, apparently using the routine of list-making to combat depression, a condition he endured for most of his life. He published his famous thesaurus in 1852, with revisions and expansions being made years later by his son, and then in turn by his grandson.

31. Most populous continent ASIA
Most of the world’s population lives in Asia (60%), and Asia is the largest continent in terms of landmass (30% of the world). Asia also has the highest population density (246 people per square mile), and the most populous city on the continent is Shanghai, China.

36. Day ender on Wall Street … and, literally, what each answer to a starred clue has CLOSING BELL
The signal for the opening and closing of a trading session on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is a bell. The original signal was a gavel, and then a gong. The gavel is still used, as well as the bell.

39. Hyundai sedan ELANTRA
The Elantra is a compact car made by Hyundai of South Korea. There was a long-standing dispute between Hyundai and manufacturers Lotus and Mitsubishi. Lotus contended that the Elantra name was too close the Lotus Elan, and Mitsubishi didn’t like the similarity to the Mitsubishi Elante.

43. Bearded spring blooms IRISES
Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

46. List shortener, for short ETC
Et cetera (etc.)

53. Caught with a lasso ROPED
Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

55. *Swanson frozen meal TV DINNER (giving “dinner bell”)
The term “TV dinner”, which describes a prepackaged frozen meal, was actually a trademark for C. A. Swanson & Sons back in 1953. Swanson’s original prepackaged meal was sold as “TV Brand Frozen Dinner” and came in an aluminum tray so that it could be heated in an oven. Swanson stopped using the name in 1962 and now “TV dinner” is a generic term.

57. Closet pests MOTHS
The larvae of several types of moth are noted for eating fabrics made from natural fibers such as wool or cotton. Many people store woolens in cedar chests believing that the scent of the wood prevents a moth infestation. In fact, the only known effective repellent is the naphthalene found in mothballs, which might be a health concern for humans. One way to kill moth larvae in fabric is to freeze the garment for several days at a temperature below 8 degrees centigrade.

64. Giggly Muppet ELMO
The man behind/under the character Elmo on “Sesame Street” is Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

65. “Night Moves” singer Bob SEGER
Bob Seger struggled as a performing artist right through the sixties and early seventies before becoming a commercial success in 1976 with the release of his album “Night Moves”. Since then, Seger has recorded songs that have become classics like, “We’ve Got Tonight” and “Old Time Rock & Roll”.

66. Ginger cookie SNAP
“Ginger snap cookies” are known as “ginger nut biscuits” back in Ireland where I come from …

Down
4. Scandal-plagued energy company ENRON
After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow’s wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).

6. Needing no 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.

8. Bridal estate DOWRY
Originally, a dowry was money that was set aside by a man for his wife and children, to be used in the event that he passed away. A widow who receives said money was known as a “dowager”. Over time, “dowry” became a term used for the money, goods or estate that a woman brought into a marriage, and “dowager” came to mean an elderly woman with an elevated social position.

13. Valentine symbols HEARTS
Saint Valentine’s Day (February 14th) was chosen by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint’s day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

34. Round Table VIP: Abbr. KNT
Knight (knt.)

King Arthur (and his Round Table) probably never really existed, but his legend is very persistent. Arthur was supposedly a leader of the Romano-British as they tried to resist the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the late 5th and early 6th centuries.

35. “Snowy” bird EGRET
At one time the egret species of bird was in danger of extinction due to excessive hunting driven by the demand for plumes for women’s hats.

37. Poisonous ornamental OLEANDER
The oleander shrub or tree is extremely toxic, especially to humans and dogs. That said, rodents and birds seem to be relatively insensitive to the toxic compounds found in the plant.

45. Wearing opposite-sex clothing IN DRAG
The etymology of the term “drag”, as used in the transvestite world, seems to be unclear. It perhaps relates to the tendency of a transvestite’s skirts to drag along the ground in days of old (although why they just didn’t hitch up their skirts is beyond me!).

47. Gator cousin CROC
Crocodiles and alligators do indeed bear a resemblance to each other, although they belong to distinct biological families. One of the main ways used to distinguish them is by their teeth and jaws. Both the upper and lower sets of teeth of a crocodile are visible when its mouth is closed, whereas only the upper teeth of an alligator are visible with the mouth shut.

52. “Over the Rainbow” composer Harold ARLEN
Harold Arlen is a composer of popular music who will forever be associated with his composition “Over the Rainbow” from the movie “The Wizard of Oz”. Arlen also composed the music to “Come Rain or Come Shine”, “It’s Only a Paper Moon”, “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” and the wonderful “Stormy Weather”.

“Over the Rainbow” is a classic song written especially for the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz”. It was sung by the young Judy Garland (Dorothy) in the film, and it was to become her signature song. There is an introductory verse that wasn’t used in the movie, and is very rarely heard:

When all the world is a hopeless jumble
And the raindrops tumble all around,
Heaven opens a magic lane
When all the clouds darken up the skyway,
There’s a rainbow highway to be found
Leading from your window pane
To a place behind the sun,
Just a step beyond the rain.

There is also a second chorus that was intended to be in the movie, but it ended up on the cutting room floor:

Someday I’ll wake and rub my eyes
And in that land beyond the skies,
You’ll find me
I’ll be a laughing daffodil
And leave the silly cares that fill
My mind behind me.

56. “Able was __ …”: palindrome start I ERE
The three most famous palindromes in English have to be:

– Able was I ere I saw Elba
– A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
– Madam, I’m Adam

One of my favorite words is “Aibohphobia”, although it doesn’t appear in the dictionary and is a joke term. “Aibohphobia” is a great way to describe a fear of palindromes, by creating a palindrome out of the suffix “-phobia”.

57. Dealership sticker fig. MSRP
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

61. “u r 2 funny!” LOL
Laugh out loud (LOL, in text-speak)

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Supplier of fake tunnels to Wile E. Coyote ACME
5. Dictionary entry WORD
9. Attempt to scam using email PHISH
14. Small songbird WREN
15. “Am __ early?” I TOO
16. Saul Bellow’s “The Adventures of __ March” AUGIE
17. *One held above criticism SACRED COW (giving “cowbell”)
19. Gossip spreader YENTA
20. What push may come to SHOVE
21. *Magician’s secret exit TRAPDOOR (giving “doorbell”)
23. 1953 Alan Ladd Western SHANE
24. Subject in which Freud is studied, briefly PSYCH
25. Boring routine RUT
26. Ballpoint, for one PEN
27. Goose egg NIL
29. Popular thesaurus ROGET’S
31. Most populous continent ASIA
33. Sign offering freebies TAKE ONE
36. Day ender on Wall Street … and, literally, what each answer to a starred clue has CLOSING BELL
39. Hyundai sedan ELANTRA
40. Increase dramatically SOAR
43. Bearded spring blooms IRISES
46. List shortener, for short ETC
48. Carry a balance OWE
49. Lion’s lair DEN
50. Set one’s sights on AIM AT
53. Caught with a lasso ROPED
55. *Swanson frozen meal TV DINNER (giving “dinner bell”)
57. Closet pests MOTHS
58. Made public AIRED
59. *Traditional OLD SCHOOL (giving “school bell”)
62. Blinding driving hazard GLARE
63. Dam in a stream WEIR
64. Giggly Muppet ELMO
65. “Night Moves” singer Bob SEGER
66. Ginger cookie SNAP
67. Rod companion REEL

Down
1. Reactions to puppies and kittens AWS
2. Falls asleep from exhaustion, in slang CRASHES
3. Pit crew worker MECHANIC
4. Scandal-plagued energy company ENRON
5. Like EEE shoes WIDE
6. Needing no Rx OTC
7. Carrots and turnips ROOTS
8. Bridal estate DOWRY
9. Obsolescent streetcorner communication device PAYPHONE
10. Tinted HUED
11. Give the cold shoulder to IGNORE
12. Take a break from SIT OUT
13. Valentine symbols HEARTS
18. Not odd EVEN
22. One in a human pyramid ACROBAT
23. Mud bath site SPA
24. Ordinary PLAIN
28. “That’s just wrong” IT’S A SIN
30. Takes shape GELS
32. Tavern orders ALES
34. Round Table VIP: Abbr. KNT
35. “Snowy” bird EGRET
37. Poisonous ornamental OLEANDER
38. Contract ambiguity to exploit LOOPHOLE
41. More than cool AWESOME
42. VIP carpet color RED
43. Dog collar attachments ID TAGS
44. Malign REVILE
45. Wearing opposite-sex clothing IN DRAG
47. Gator cousin CROC
51. Cat calls MEOWS
52. “Over the Rainbow” composer Harold ARLEN
54. Significant __ OTHER
56. “Able was __ …”: palindrome start I ERE
57. Dealership sticker fig. MSRP
60. Day, in Spain DIA
61. “u r 2 funny!” LOL

Return to top of page