LA Times Crossword Answers 4 Nov 15, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Kurt Krauss
THEME: Fall Guy … each of today’s themed answers starts with a synonym of FALL GUY:

35A. Easy mark … and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues FALL GUY

16A. *Sneaky blow SUCKER PUNCH
55A. *Peanuts CHUMP CHANGE
10D. *Place for brooding PIGEON COOP
26D. *”Walkin’ After Midnight” singer PATSY CLINE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 29s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. See-through kitchen supply SARAN
What’s known as plastic wrap in America, we call cling-film in Ireland. Plastic wrap was one of those unintended inventions, a byproduct of a development program to create a hard plastic cover for cars.

6. Mythical king of the Huns ATLI
Atli is a character in the Volsunga Saga of 13th century Icelandic lore. It is believed that the Atli character is loosely based on Attila the Hun.

10. Kitchen spray PAM
PAM cooking oil was introduced in 1961 by Leon Rubin and Arthur Meyerhoff. The name “PAM” is an acronym … standing for “Product of Arthur Meyerhoff”. Who’d a thunk it …?

14. Ancient Greek theater ODEUM
In Ancient Greece an odeon (also “odeum”) was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning a “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

15. Land in l’océan ILE
In French, one might go to an “île” (island) in the middle of “l’océan” (the ocean).

18. Some kitchen appliances GES
The General Electric Company is usually referred to simply as “GE”. One of the precursor companies to GE was Edison General Electric, founded in 1890 by the inventor Thomas Edison. What we know today as GE was formed two years later when Edison merged his company with Charles Coffin’s Thomson-Houston Electric Company. In 1896, GE was selected as one of the 12 companies listed on the newly formed Dow Jones Industrial Average. GE is the only one of the original 12 that is still on that list. I spent over ten years with GE at the beginning of my working career, and in fact it was GE that asked me to transfer to the US back in the 1980s …

20. Passengers in flight, often USERS
I think that the reference is more likely a user of the Internet, rather than anything unsavory …

22. Cyberspace marketplace EBAY
eBay is an auction site with a twist. If you don’t want to enter into an auction to purchase an item, there’s a “Buy It Now” price. Agree to pay it, and the item is yours!

23. Snobbish SNOOTY
“Snoot” is a variant of “snout” and is a word that originated in Scotland. The idea is that someone who is “snooty”, or snouty, tends to look down his or her nose at the rest of the world.

27. Mount Hood’s state OREGON
Mount Hood is a volcanic peak in northern Oregon. Mount Hood is the highest peak in the state, and is located about 50 miles southeast of Portland. There are six ski areas on the mountain, including a resort called Timberline that has North America’s only lift operating year-round for skiing.

30. Keep the censor busy SWEAR
The original “censor” was an officer in ancient Rome who had responsibility for taking the “census”, as well as supervising public morality.

31. The NBA’s Kevin Love, e.g. CAV
The NBA’s Kevin Love has basketball in his genes. Kevin is the son of former NBA player Stan Love. Kevin also has music in his genes as his uncle is Mike Love, a founding member of the Beach Boys.

38. High rails ELS
Elevated railroad (El)

39. Bassoon cousins OBOES
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”. When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you’ll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

Our modern bassoon first appeared in the 1800s and has had a place in the concert orchestra ever since.

48. Island nation near Sicily MALTA
The island state of Malta is relatively small, but its large number of inhabitants makes it one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Malta’s strategic location has made it a prized possession for the conquering empires of the world. Most recently it was part of the British Empire and was an important fleet headquarters. Malta played a crucial role for the Allies during WWII as it was located very close to the Axis shipping lanes in the Mediterranean. The Siege of Malta lasted from 1940 to 1942, a prolonged attack by the Italians and Germans on the RAF and Royal Navy, and the people of Malta. When the siege was lifted, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta collectively in recognition of their heroism and devotion to the Allied cause. The George Cross can still be seen on the Maltese flag, even though Britain granted Malta independence in 1964.

54. Form 1040 calc. AGI
Adjusted gross income (AGI)

Here in the US we can choose one of three main forms to file our tax returns. Form 1040 is known as the “long form”. Form 1040A is called the “short form”, and can be used by taxpayers with taxable income below $100,000 who don’t itemize deduction. Form 1040EZ is an even simpler version of the 1040, and can be used by those with taxable income less than $100,000 who take the standard deduction and who also have no dependents. Form 1040 was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just keeps on giving, or should I say “taking” …?

55. *Peanuts CHUMP CHANGE
We use “chump change” to describe a trivial amount of money. The phrase was coined in the 1950s, and is probably a reference to an amount of money that only a chump or fool would think was adequate.

57. Nickelodeon pooch REN
“The Ren and Stimpy Show” is an animated television show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1996. The title characters are Marland “Ren” Höek, a scrawny Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a rotund Manx cat. Not my cup of tea …

60. Number before quattro TRE
In Italian, “tre” (three) precedes “quattro” (four).

61. Editor’s “Let it stand” STET
“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

62. Hoopster Archibald and rapper Dogg NATES
Nate Archibald is a retired basketball player who played mainly for the Kansas City Kings and the Boston Celtics. Archibald could get the ball in the basket, but was also willing pass to a teammate when advantageous. He is only player to lead the league in assists and scoring in the same season.

Nate Dogg was the stage name of rapper Nathaniel Hale from Clarksdale, Mississippi. Nate Dogg is no longer with us as he died at the age of 41 after suffering multiple strokes.

Down
2. Homecoming guest ALUM
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

3. Affluent, in Andalusia RICO
Andalusia (“Andalucia” in Spanish) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities in the Kingdom of Spain, and is the most southerly. The capital of Andalusia is the old city of Seville. The name Andalusia comes from its Arabic name, Al-Andalus, reflecting the region’s history as the center of Muslim power in Iberia during medieval times.

6. Together, musically A DUE
“A due” is a musical term meaning “together”, and translates literally from Italian as “by two”.

8. Director Jean-__ Godard LUC
Jean-Luc Godard is a so-called “Nouvelle Vague” (New Wave) cinematographer, making movies that challenge the conventions of both traditional Hollywood and French cinema.

10. *Place for brooding PIGEON COOP
An Old English word for basket (“cypa”) evolved in the 14th century to the word “coop”, meaning a small cage for poultry, a word we still use today.

14. Nashville attraction OPRY
“The Grand Ole Opry” started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.

The Tennessee city of Nashville was founded in 1779 near a stockade in the Cumberland River valley called Fort Nashborough. Both the settlement and the fort were named for General Francis Nash, a war hero who died in combat during the American Revolution.

21. Great Lakes’ __ Canals SOO
In the summer of 2010 I spent a very interesting afternoon watching ships make their way through the Soo Locks and Soo Canals between Lake Superior and the lower Great lakes. The name “Soo” comes from the US and Canadian cities on either side of the locks, both called Sault Ste. Marie.

23. 10-time All-Pro linebacker Junior SEAU
Junior Seau was an NFL linebacker, first playing for the San Diego Chargers and then the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. Sadly, Seau was found dead in his home in 2011, having committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.

26. *”Walkin’ After Midnight” singer PATSY CLINE
“Walkin’ After Midnight” was a hit for singer Patsy Cline in 1957. It was in fact Cline’s first major single, and came fully four years before her next hit “I Fall to Pieces”.

Patsy Cline was a country music singer who managed to cross over into the world of pop music where she enjoyed great success. Cline is one of a long list of musical legends who died in plane crashes. Cline was 30 years old when she was killed in 1963 in a Piper Comanche plane piloted by her manager, Randy Hughes. Hughes and Cline decided to make that last flight despite warnings of inclement weather, and it was a severe storm that brought down the plane in a forest outside Camden, Tennessee.

30. __ gin fizz SLOE
By definition, a cocktail known as a Fizz includes lemon or lime juice and carbonated water. The most popular of the genre is the Gin Fizz, made from 3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 5 parts soda water. There is also a variant known as a sloe gin fizz.

33. Prince who inspired Dracula VLAD
Vlad III was a 15th century ruler in modern-day Romania. He was given the name “Vlad the Impaler” after he died, and this suggests that he was in the habit of impaling his enemies. His father, Vlad II, was known as Vlad Dracul, which translates as Vlad the Devil or Dragon. As a result, Vlad the Impaler was also known by the diminutive form of his father’s name, i.e. Dracula! Bram Stoker borrowed this name for his famous 1897 novel titled “Dracula”.

36. Calais cleric ABBE
“Abbé” is the French word for “abbot”.

Calais is a major ferry port in northern France that overlooks the Strait of Dover, which is the narrowest point in the English Channel. The strait is just over 20 miles wide, making Calais the nearest French town to England.

40. “The Bartered Bride” composer SMETANA
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer, known as the father of Czech music. Just like Beethoven, Smetana was still composing at the end of his life even though he was totally deaf.

Smetana’s comic opera “The Bartered Bride” was first performed in 1866, in Prague. The bartered bride is Marenka, a young woman from a Bohemian village who has been promised in marriage to a wealthy young man that she has never met. Much confusion ensues, with lots of bartering, but a happy ending.

43. Former U.K. carrier BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was one of the two airlines that were merged in 1974 to form British Airways (the other was British European Airways, known as BEA).

44. Mischievous boy URCHIN
Our word “urchin” comes from the older word “yrichon” that meant “hedgehog” in the 14th century. This readily explains why we use the term “sea urchin” for the prickly sea creature. The evolution to the meaning “mischievous boy” is less clear. The term was applied first to those whose behavior or appearance suggested a hedgehog, such as hunchbacks and goblins. The definition drifted into “bad girl”, and “poorly clothed youngster”, and now seems to apply to young males.

47. Love-crazy Le Pew PEPE
Pepé Le Pew is a very likeable cartoon character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. Pepé is a French skunk, first introduced way back in 1945. He is always thinking of “l’amour” and chases the lady skunks, or a black cat with a white stripe painted down her back accidently.

52. Architectural S-curve OGEE
An ogee is a type of S-curve. Specifically it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S). An ogee arch is composed of two ogees, with one being the mirror of the other and meeting at the arch’s apex.

56. Riled (up) HET
Someone who is “het up” is “worked up, angry”. “Het” is an archaic word meaning “heated”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. See-through kitchen supply SARAN
6. Mythical king of the Huns ATLI
10. Kitchen spray PAM
13. Flared dress A-LINE
14. Ancient Greek theater ODEUM
15. Land in l’océan ILE
16. *Sneaky blow SUCKER PUNCH
18. Some kitchen appliances GES
19. Did a slow burn SMOLDERED
20. Passengers in flight, often USERS
22. Cyberspace marketplace EBAY
23. Snobbish SNOOTY
24. Chopper COPTER
27. Mount Hood’s state OREGON
29. Prominent periods ERAS
30. Keep the censor busy SWEAR
31. The NBA’s Kevin Love, e.g. CAV
34. Alternative to dis? DAT
35. Easy mark … and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues FALL GUY
37. Dressing ingredient OIL
38. High rails ELS
39. Bassoon cousins OBOES
40. Vending machine buy SODA
41. “Absolutely!” YOU BET!
43. Kicked off the flight BUMPED
45. Well-protected SECURE
47. Sweater outlet? PORE
48. Island nation near Sicily MALTA
49. Get in the game SEE ACTION
54. Form 1040 calc. AGI
55. *Peanuts CHUMP CHANGE
57. Nickelodeon pooch REN
58. Spine-tingling EERIE
59. Hawaii or Alaska, on many a map INSET
60. Number before quattro TRE
61. Editor’s “Let it stand” STET
62. Hoopster Archibald and rapper Dogg NATES

Down
1. Back talk SASS
2. Homecoming guest ALUM
3. Affluent, in Andalusia RICO
4. Low socks ANKLETS
5. (If) required NEED BE
6. Together, musically A DUE
7. Watch over TEND
8. Director Jean-__ Godard LUC
9. “Can’t wait to eat!” I’M HUNGRY!
10. *Place for brooding PIGEON COOP
11. Watchful ALERT
12. Embarrassing, as a situation MESSY
14. Nashville attraction OPRY
17. Bring up REAR
21. Great Lakes’ __ Canals SOO
23. 10-time All-Pro linebacker Junior SEAU
24. Hand over CEDE
25. Taken by mouth ORAL
26. *”Walkin’ After Midnight” singer PATSY CLINE
27. Young hooter OWLET
28. Rules, briefly REGS
30. __ gin fizz SLOE
32. Trusted underling AIDE
33. Prince who inspired Dracula VLAD
35. Loser only to a straight flush FOUR ACES
36. Calais cleric ABBE
40. “The Bartered Bride” composer SMETANA
42. Away OUT
43. Former U.K. carrier BOAC
44. Mischievous boy URCHIN
45. Snazzy-looking SMART
46. Ready and willing EAGER
47. Love-crazy Le Pew PEPE
49. “Absolutely!” SURE!
50. Give out EMIT
51. Scientific acad. INST
52. Architectural S-curve OGEE
53. Fishing gear NETS
56. Riled (up) HET

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