LA Times Crossword Answers 25 Aug 13, Sunday

CROSSWORD SETTER: Gail Grabowski
THEME: Force Field … each of today’s themed answers are common phrases with a -CE suffix added to one word:

23A. Light for lovers? ROMANCE CANDLE (from “Roman candle”)
39A. Coat with a “V” on it? PEACE JACKET (from “pea jacket”)
58A. Op-ed page apology? HUMBLE PIECE (from “humble pie”)
84A. Flinch at the drop of a hat? WINCE EASILY (from “win easily”)
102A. Astronaut’s vacation spot? SPACE RESORT (from “spa resort”)
121A. Cruise destination for impulsive sorts? ISLE OF CAPRICE (from “Isle of Capri”)
16D. Wipe out municipal coffers with a scam? FLEECE THE CITY (from “flee the city”)
57D. Satiric video of a backyard gathering? FARCE FROM HOME (from “far from home”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 22m 38s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
4. Symbol on Vietnam’s flag STAR
The Flag of Vietnam is red with a gold star in the middle.

23. Light for lovers? ROMANCE CANDLE (from “Roman candle”)
A Roman candle is a type of firework. It looks somewhat like a candle with a wick at the top. When lit is shoots out stars or exploding shells. There is a tendency of the Roman candle to cause a lot of accidents, so it is banned in some countries.

26. Reddish-brown horses SORRELS
The horse color sorrel is a copper-red, although it is often used these days to describe any horse with chestnut coloring.

30. Winslet of “Revolutionary Road” KATE
Kate Winslet is one of my favorite actresses, someone known for taking both the big Hollywood roles while still finding the time to act in smaller independent films. Perhaps Winslet’s most famous part was opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in “Titanic”, although she won her Oscar for a more dramatic role in “The Reader”. But my favorite of her performances is in the romantic comedy “The Holiday” from 2006. I love that movie …

“Revolutionary Road” is a 2008 movie based on a novel of the same name by Richard Yates that was published in 1961. The film stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, who had last played opposite each other in “Titanic” nine years earlier.

35. Grifter’s plan SCAM
A grifter is a confidence trickster, although the term has been used for non-violent criminals in general.

39. Coat with a “V” on it? PEACE JACKET (from “pea jacket”)
A pea coat (also “pea jacket”) is a heavy woolen outer jacket originally associated with sailors. Nowadays anyone wears them (they’re very comfortable and warm). The female equivalent of a pea coat is often called a Jackie O Jacket, apparently.

44. Ranch ending -ERO
“Ranchero” is a word with Spanish roots that is used for someone employed on a ranch.

45. Hot Springs National Park locale ARKANSAS
Hot Springs National Park is the smallest national park in the whole country. It is located beside the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas and actually includes bathhouses found in the downtown area that use the springs’ hot water.

50. “OMG, skip the sordid details!” TMI
Too Much Information! (TMI)

OMG is text-speak for Oh My Gosh! Oh My Goodness! or any other G words you might think of …

51. D.C. regulars POLS
Politicians (pols.)

55. 2003 holiday film ELF
“Elf” is a comedy movie released for the 2003 Christmas season. “Elf” was directed by Jon Favreau and stars Will Ferrell in the title role with James Caan supporting. It’s all about one of Santa’s elves who finds out he is human and goes to meet his father in New York City.

58. Op-ed page apology? HUMBLE PIECE (from “humble pie”)
Op-ed is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

62. Kid stuff? SUEDE
Suede is leather made from the underside of the skin, mainly from a lamb. As such it is very soft, although not as durable as leather made from the exterior skin. The soft leather was, and is still used for making gloves. Back in 1859 these gloves were called “gants de Suede” in France, or “gloves of Sweden”. So, the name “suede” comes from the French word for Sweden.

63. MTV’s owner VIACOM
Media giant Viacom takes it’s name from the phrase VI-deo & A-udio COM-unications.

66. Pres. after JAG CAA
Chester Arthur was the 21st President of the US, and came to power after the assassination of James Garfield in 1881. President Arthur was known to be socially adept, and was very conscious of his role in society. He was always immaculately attired, apparently even changing his pants several times in a day. He was called “Chet” by family and friends, and sometimes answered to his middle name, Alan. However, he insisted that Alan be pronounced with the stress on the second syllable, Al-an.

James Abram Garfield, the 20th President, was of course assassinated in office. He was shot twice, and one bullet could not be found (it was lodged in his spine). Alexander Graham Bell developed a metal detector in an attempt to locate the bullet, but apparently he was unsuccessful because of interference from the metal bed frame on which the president lay. Garfield died two months after being shot.

67. Ltr.-bottom letters ENC
An letter (ltr.) might contain an enclosure (enc.).

68. Designer Saarinen EERO
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect, renowned in this country for his unique designs for public buildings such as Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Dulles International Airport Terminal, and the TWA building at JFK.

71. Dried coconut meat COPRA
Copra is the dried “meat” of the coconut. Surprisingly, copra is forbidden on a plane in any quantity, as it can spontaneously burst into flame.

73. Kerry’s home EIRE
Kerry is a beautiful county in the southwest of Ireland. Tralee is the county town, home of the famed “Rose of Tralee” Festival that is so well attended by representatives from North America.

76. IRA recommender CPA
Most Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) recommend contributions to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

78. Memorable 1969 bride ONO
After marrying in Gibraltar, John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a very public honeymoon in a hotels in Amsterdam and then Montreal, when they staged their famous “bed-in” for peace. In answering questions from reporters Lennon found himself often repeating the words “give peace a chance”. While still in bed, he composed his famous song “Give Peace a Chance” and even made the original recording of the song in the Montreal hotel room, with reporters present, and with a whole bunch of friends. The song was released later in 1969 and became a smash hit.

91. Roger of “Cheers” REES
Roger Rees is a Welsh actor. Rees played the character Robin Colcord on “Cheers”, the posh love interest for Rebecca Howe played by Kirstie Alley.

The wonderful sitcom “Cheers” ran for eleven seasons on NBC, from 1982 to 1993. “Cheers” spawned an equally successful spin-off show called “Frasier”, which also ran for eleven seasons and often featured guest appearances of characters from the original “Cheers”. The Cheers bar was styled on the Bull & Finch Pub in Boston (in which I’ve had a pint of Guinness two!). The owner of the Bill & Finch cleverly agreed to the initial interior and exterior shots, charging only one dollar. Since then he has made millions from selling “Cheers” memorabilia, and also from increased trade.

93. Patriotic org. since 1890 DAR
In order to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), an applicant has to prove that she is a descendant of someone closely associated with, and supportive of, the American Revolution.

94. Tissue additive ALOE
Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

96. Soprano Marton EVA
Éva Marton is a soprano from Budapest, Hungary who is noted for her performances in Puccini’s “Turandot” and “Tosca”, and in Wagner’s operas.

108. Score notation for two singers A DUE
“A due” is a musical term meaning “together”, and literally translates from Italian as “by two”.

109. Actor Tommy __ Jones LEE
Tommy Lee Jones is an actor from San Saba, Texas. Relatively recently, Jones received much acclaim for an excellent supporting performance as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens in “Lincoln”. However, my favorite of Jones’s performances were in 1993’s “The Fugitive” and in 2012’s “Hope Springs” opposite Meryl Streep.

111. Defunct govt. anti-subversive group HUAC
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was formed by the US House of Representatives in 1947 and disbanded in 1975. The House Committee is best remembered for its investigation of the Hollywood film industry in the late forties and fifties which led to the blacklisting of hundreds of people. The House Committee had no formal connection with Senator Joseph McCarthy who was Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

121. Cruise destination for impulsive sorts? ISLE OF CAPRICE (from “Isle of Capri”)
The island of Capri off the coast of Southern Italy has been a tourist resort since the days of ancient Rome. Capri is home to the famous Blue Grotto, a sea cave that is illuminated with sunlight that’s colored blue as it passes through the seawater into the cave.

123. Percussion set TIMPANI
The timpani are also called the kettledrums. “Timpani” is an Italian term with the same meaning, the plural of “timpano”.

128. GPS suggestions RTES
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. The modern GPS system that we use today was built by the US military who received the massive funding needed because of fears during the Cold War of the use of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. We civilians all round the world owe a lot to President Ronald Reagan because he directed the military to make GPS technology available to the public for the common good. President Reagan was moved to do so after the Soviet Union shot down KAL flight 007 carrying 269 people, just because the plane strayed accidentally into Soviet airspace.

129. Picture of health? X-RAY
X-rays were first studied comprehensively by the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (also “Roentgen”), and it was he who gave the name “X-rays” to this particular type of radiation. Paradoxically, in Röntgen’s native language of German, X-rays are routinely referred to as “Röntgen rays”. In 1901 Röntgen won the first Nobel Prize in Physics that was ever awarded, recognition for his work on X-rays.

130. Mini-albums, for short EPS
An extended play record (EP) contains more music than a single, but less than an LP.

Down
1. Steamer sunk by a U-boat in 1941 NERISSA
The SS Nerissa was a passenger and cargo ship that was used during WWII as a transport vessel between and Canada and Britain. The Nerissa was deemed to eb fast enough to outrun submarines so made her wartime crossings of the Atlantic without escort. After 39 successful voyages, she was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-552 in April of 1941, 200 miles from her destination of Liverpool, England.

2. One way alternative? ANOTHER
One way or another …

3. Socrates’ undoing HEMLOCK
For humans, eating just 6-8 fresh leaves from the poison hemlock plant can be fatal.

The classical Greek Athenian philosopher Socrates fell out of favor with the political leaders in Athens who put him on trial on trumped-up charges. He was found guilty of corrupting the youth of the city-state and of not believing in the gods of the state. The sentence levied was death by drinking hemlock.

6. Greeting for Gaius AVE
Gaius was a common Latin forename. The person most associated with the name was Gaius, the Roman Emperor better known as Caligula.

8. Kournikova of tennis ANNA
Not only is Anna Kournikova a world class tennis player, but she is also a model. She apparently has a lot of fans because her name is one of the most commonly searched for terms on Google’s search engine …

11. Potato giant ORE-IDA
Ore-Ida founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

12. NBA stats FTS
Free throws (FTs)

14. Gillette product ATRA
Fortunately for crossword setters, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

18. Text tweakers, for short EDS
Editors (eds.) might tweak the text in articles or novels.

25. “The Cherry Orchard” daughter ANYA
“The Cherry Orchard” was Anton Chekhov’s last play. Chekhov wrote the play as a comedy, but when it was first staged in Moscow in 1904 it was directed as a tragedy!

36. Dangerous partner? ARMED
Armed and dangerous …

37. Ripply fabric MOIRE
A moiré pattern is a phenomenon in physics, a so-called interference pattern. If you lay two sheets of mesh over each other for example, slightly offset, then what you see is a moiré pattern. “Moiré” is the French name for a textile that we know simply as “moire”. The rippled pattern of the textile resembles that of the interference pattern.

42. Sci-fi warriors JEDI
The Jedi are the “good guys” in the “Star Wars” series of movies. The most famous Jedi knights from the films are Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness, and later Ewan McGregor) and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). Well, they’re my favorites anyway …

46. NYC neighborhood above Houston Street NOHO
NoHo is short for North of Houston (street), and is the equivalent area to SoHo, South of Houston, both in New York City.

56. Links concern LIE
The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

59. Pancakes served with sour cream BLINI
A blintz (also “blin”, plural “blini”) is a thin pancake similar to a crêpe, although unlike a crêpe a blintz may contain yeast.

71. ’80s-’90s Olds models CIERAS
Oldsmobile made the Cutlass Ciera from 1982 to 1996. The Ciera was the brand name’s most successful model.

74. Shad output ROE
The shad is also known as the river herring. The eggs (roe) of the female shad are prized as a delicacy in the Eastern US.

77. Bailiwicks AREAS
Bailiwick is a word dating back to the mid-1600s, and originally meant the “district of a bailiff”.

85. Radio-active type? CBER
A CBer is someone who operates a Citizens’ Band radio. In 1945, the FCC set aside certain radio frequencies for the personal use of citizens. The use of the Citizens’ Band increased throughout the seventies as advances in electronics brought down the size of transceivers and their cost. There aren’t many CB radios sold these days though, as they have largely been replaced by cell phones.

89. “Stand Up Guys” co-star AL PACINO
Al Pacino seems to be best known for playing characters on either side of the law. His big break in movies came when he played Michael Corleone in “The Godfather”, a role that grew for him as the series of films progressed. But his Oscar-winning role was that of a blind ex-military officer in “Scent of a Woman”.

“Stand Up Guys” is comedy crime film released in 2012 starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin.

95. Andean country: Abbr. ECUA
“Ecuador” is the Spanish word for “equator”, which gives the country its name.

97. “Song of the South” villain BR’ER FOX
Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox are characters in the Uncle Remus stories, written by Joel Chandler Harris. The Uncle Remus stories are adaptations of African American folktales that Harris collected across the Southern States. “Br’er” of course stands for “brother”.

“Song of the South” is a 1946 Disney film based on the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris. The move features a mix of live actors and animated characters. The song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” is the big hit from the “Song of the South”, and won the Best Song Oscar in 1947.

98. Franc fraction CENTIME
The French franc was made up of 100 centimes, before being replaced by the Euro.

100. “__ of Philadelphia”: Oscar-winning Springsteen song STREETS
Bruce Springsteen is a rock singer and songwriter, famously from New Jersey. A lot of Springsteen’s works are centered on his home state and the American heartland. His most famous album is “Born in the USA”, which was released in 1984. Springsteen lives in New Jersey, with his wife Patti Scialfa and their children.

“Streets of Philadelphia” is a song written by Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 film “Philadelphia” starring Tom Hanks as a gay man suffering from AIDS. The song won the Best Original Song Oscar as well as four Grammy Awards.

104. Cooking spread OLEO
Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France announced a competition to develop a substitute for butter, a substitute that would be more accessible to the lower classes and more practical for the armed forces. In 1869, a French chemist called Hippolyte Mege-Mouries came up with something that he called oleomargarine, which was eventually manufactured under the trade name “margarine”. The name “oleomargarine” also gives us our generic term “oleo”.

107. Lightweight boxer? PUPPY
The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful animal. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, another gorgeous creature.

110. Peter Rabbit sibling MOPSY
Beatrix Potter was an English author, famous for the children’s books she wrote and illustrated. The most famous character in her stories was Peter Rabbit, whose sisters were Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. Potter put her talent as an artist to good use in the scientific world as well. She recorded many images of lichens and fungi as seen through her microscope. As a result of her work, she was respected as an expert mycologist.

114. Realty ad abbr. BSMT
Basement (bsmt.)

115. He beat Arthur in the 1972 US Open ILIE
I think that Ilie Nastase was the most entertaining tennis player of the 1970s, the days of Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. No matter how much pressure there was in a match, Nastase always had time to give the crowd a laugh.

Ilie Nastase beat Arthur Ashe in the final to win the US Open in 1972. It was Nastase’s first Grand Slam title and his only US Open title.

116. Vietnamese holidays TETS
The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is Tet Nguyen Dan, meaning “Feast of the First Morning”. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

117. “Cleopatra” star, 1917 BARA
Theda Bara was a silent film star from Cincinnati, Ohio. Many cite Bara as the first movie sex symbol. She wore very revealing costumes in many of her films and she often played the femme fatale character. As such, Bara’s nickname was “the Vamp”.

The 1917 silent movie “Cleopatra” is a historical drama based on the play “Cleopatre” by Émile Moreau and “Antony and Cleopatra” by William Shakespeare. Most of the film is now lost and only brief fragments of footage remain. After the Hays Code came into play in Hollywood, “Cleopatra” was deemed too obscene to be shown in theaters.

118. Lucas Oil competitor STP
STP motor oil takes its name from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

119. French shooting match TIR
“Tir” is the French for “shooting”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Nope” NAH
4. Symbol on Vietnam’s flag STAR
8. Assertive comeback AM SO!
12. Fixed expense FLAT FEE
19. Denver-to-Chicago dir. ENE
20. Gutter locale EAVE
21. In the neighborhood NEAR
22. Added up TOTALED
23. Light for lovers? ROMANCE CANDLE (from “Roman candle”)
26. Reddish-brown horses SORRELS
27. “Close enough” IT’LL DO
28. Agitated IN A STIR
30. Winslet of “Revolutionary Road” KATE
31. They’re often not seen on the beach SHOES
32. Alias user SPY
33. Chef’s creation DISH
35. Grifter’s plan SCAM
38. Philosophical subgroup SECT
39. Coat with a “V” on it? PEACE JACKET (from “pea jacket”)
44. Ranch ending -ERO
45. Hot Springs National Park locale ARKANSAS
48. Exist ARE
49. Add staff HIRE
50. “OMG, skip the sordid details!” TMI
51. D.C. regulars POLS
52. Icky buildup CRUD
53. It’s good when it’s fair WEATHER
55. 2003 holiday film ELF
58. Op-ed page apology? HUMBLE PIECE (from “humble pie”)
62. Kid stuff? SUEDE
63. MTV’s owner VIACOM
65. Enumerate LIST
66. Pres. after JAG CAA
67. Ltr.-bottom letters ENC
68. Designer Saarinen EERO
69. Docking places SLIPS
71. Dried coconut meat COPRA
73. Kerry’s home EIRE
76. IRA recommender CPA
78. Memorable 1969 bride ONO
79. Bit of deceit WILE
80. Give BESTOW
82. Musical shortcoming NO EAR
84. Flinch at the drop of a hat? WINCE EASILY (from “win easily”)
87. “__-haw!” YEE
88. 2013, election-wise OFF-YEAR
90. Unkind comment BARB
91. Roger of “Cheers” REES
93. Patriotic org. since 1890 DAR
94. Tissue additive ALOE
96. Soprano Marton EVA
97. Private quarters? BARRACKS
101. Earlier AGO
102. Astronaut’s vacation spot? SPACE RESORT (from “spa resort”)
105. Let off VENT
106. Sub TEMP
108. Score notation for two singers A DUE
109. Actor Tommy __ Jones LEE
110. Rush participant MINER
111. Defunct govt. anti-subversive group HUAC
113. Dispute decider ARBITER
117. Tootsy cover BOOTEE
118. Shout during an attempted escape STOP HIM!
121. Cruise destination for impulsive sorts? ISLE OF CAPRICE (from “Isle of Capri”)
123. Percussion set TIMPANI
124. Give out EMIT
125. Couple’s pronoun OURS
126. Protective pad MAT
127. Victimizes PREYS ON
128. GPS suggestions RTES
129. Picture of health? X-RAY
130. Mini-albums, for short EPS

Down
1. Steamer sunk by a U-boat in 1941 NERISSA
2. One way alternative? ANOTHER
3. Socrates’ undoing HEMLOCK
4. Ships SENDS
5. Folded food TACO
6. Greeting for Gaius AVE
7. Food Network offerings RECIPES
8. Kournikova of tennis ANNA
9. Doc’s orders MEDS
10. Curing substance SALT
11. Potato giant ORE-IDA
12. NBA stats FTS
13. Words of impatience LOOK HERE
14. Gillette product ATRA
15. Bakery buys TARTS
16. Wipe out municipal coffers with a scam? FLEECE THE CITY (from “flee the city”)
17. Wriggly swimmer EEL
18. Text tweakers, for short EDS
24. Handle in a pub ALE TAP
25. “The Cherry Orchard” daughter ANYA
29. Loaded RICH
32. Jerk SPASM
34. Goggles and boots, say SKI WEAR
36. Dangerous partner? ARMED
37. Ripply fabric MOIRE
40. Soft touch CARESS
41. Blow one’s top ERUPT
42. Sci-fi warriors JEDI
43. Needle TEASE
46. NYC neighborhood above Houston Street NOHO
47. Depressed areas SLUMS
52. Tie already tied CLIP-ON
54. Airs TUNES
55. Night for celebration EVE
56. Links concern LIE
57. Satiric video of a backyard gathering? FARCE FROM HOME (from “far from home”)
59. Pancakes served with sour cream BLINI
60. Environmentalist’s test site ECO-LAB
61. Jutting lands CAPES
64. Patient’s obligation COPAY
70. Underhanded course of action LOW ROAD
71. ’80s-’90s Olds models CIERAS
72. More adept ABLER
74. Shad output ROE
75. Meadow matriarch EWE
77. Bailiwicks AREAS
79. Make, as a basket WEAVE
81. Once-over giver EYER
82. Signal silently NOD AT
83. No longer a minor OF AGE
85. Radio-active type? CBER
86. Enraged IRATE
89. “Stand Up Guys” co-star AL PACINO
92. Messiah SAVIOR
95. Andean country: Abbr. ECUA
97. “Song of the South” villain BR’ER FOX
98. Franc fraction CENTIME
99. Football pad beneficiary KNEE-CAP
100. “__ of Philadelphia”: Oscar-winning Springsteen song STREETS
103. More chilling EERIER
104. Cooking spread OLEO
107. Lightweight boxer? PUPPY
110. Peter Rabbit sibling MOPSY
112. Elated exclamations AHAS
114. Realty ad abbr. BSMT
115. He beat Arthur in the 1972 US Open ILIE
116. Vietnamese holidays TETS
117. “Cleopatra” star, 1917 BARA
118. Lucas Oil competitor STP
119. French shooting match TIR
120. Part of an hr. MIN
122. Contemptible sort CUR

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