LA Times Crossword Answers 14 May 14, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: C.C. Burnikel
THEME: Sunrise, Sunset … the themed answers in today’s grid each contain the hidden word SUN. That SUN can be rising (read upwards) or setting (read downwards), with a SUNRISE, SUNSET pairing on the left of the grid, and another on the right:

3D. Pageant for under-20s MISS TEEN USA
9D. Like our secret BETWEEN US
25D. Cheating victim’s cry THAT’S UNFAIR!
32D. Admits defeat SAYS “UNCLE”

14D. “Fiddler on the Roof” song suggested twice by this puzzle’s circles SUNRISE, SUNSET

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 9m 42s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Downfall DEMISE
Back in the 1400s, a “demise” was the “transfer of an estate via a will”. The terms usage extended in the mid-1700s to the contemporary meaning of “death, downfall”.

7. Msg. to squad cars APB
An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a broadcast from one US law enforcement agency to another.

13. “Savages” director Stone OLIVER
Oliver Stone came to prominence as a film director in the 1980s when he came out with a string of war films such as “Salvador”, “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July”. Stone dropped out of Yale University in the sixties and spent six months in South Vietnam teaching English. A few years later he signed up with the US Army and requested combat duty in South Vietnam and completed a 15-month tour. His movie “Platoon” is a semi-autobiographical account of his experiences during the Vietnam War.

“Savages” is a 2012 crime movie directed by Oliver Stone that is based on a novel of the same name written by Don Winslow. It’s a film about illegal growing of marijuana, with plenty of action as ex-military types take on a Mexican drug cartel.

16. Egyptian president during the Suez Crisis NASSER
Gamal Abdel Nasser was the second president of Egypt, from 1956 until he died in 1970. He stood alongside Muhammad Naguib, Egypt’s first president, during the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 that overthrew the ruling monarchy of Egypt and Sudan. Nasser was an advocate of Pan-Arabism, an ideology promoting unification of Arab peoples and countries. President Nasser went so far as forming the United Arab Republic (UAR), a union between Egypt and Syria that started in 1958 but fell apart in 1961 when Syria withdrew.

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.

17. One-piece garments UNITARDS
A unitard is like a leotard, except that it has long legs and sometime long sleeves. It wouldn’t be a good look for me …

18. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie ELS
Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He has a child who suffers from autism and so Els has been very effective in raising money for charities that focus on the condition.

19. “Death in Venice” author MANN
Thomas Mann was a German novelist whose most famous work is probably his novella “Death in Venice”, originally published in German in 1912 as “Der Tod in Venedig”. The story was famously adapted for the big screen in 1971, in a movie starring Dirk Bogarde.

21. Bugs on a highway VWS
VW stands for Volkswagen, which translates from German into “people’s car”. The original Volkswagen design was the Beetle and was built under a directive from Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap car built that ordinary people could afford to purchase. He awarded the contract to engineer Ferdinand Porsche, whose name (paradoxically) would forever be associated with high performance, expensive cars. The Beetle was the official name of the VW model released in North America, but it was usually referred to as a “Bug” here in the US, and a “Beetle” elsewhere in the world.

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

28. Bird: Pref. AVI-
The prefix “avi-” means “bird-related” as in “aviculture”, the breeding of birds.

33. __ Martin: Bond’s car ASTON
Aston Martin is a British car manufacturer, founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin. The Aston part of the company name comes from Aston Hill, a famous site for hill-climbing cars that is nearby the original factory. Aston Martin cars are much loved by the British entertainment industry. Of course James Bond was given one in “Goldfinger”, and Michael Caine drove one in the 1969 version of “The Italian Job”. Roger Moore’s character drove a yellow Aston Martin in the seventies television show “The Persuaders!”.

36. Summer of songs DONNA
Donna Summer is known as “The Queen of Disco”, with great hits like “Love to Love You, Baby”, “I Feel Love” and “Hot Stuff”. In the late sixties and early seventies, LaDonna Gaines (her real name) lived and worked in Germany. There she met and married an Austrian actor called Helmuth Sommer. They divorced not long after the marriage, but Donna kept his family name, just changing the “o” to “u” to give her the stage name of “Donna Summer”.

37. Narc’s org. DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was set up in 1973 while President Nixon was in office.

“Narc” is a slang term for a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated illegal drugs.

38. Peso spender’s pronoun USTED
“Usted” is Spanish for “you”.

The coin called a “peso” is used in many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The coin originated in Spain where the word “peso” means “weight”. The original peso was what we know in English as a “piece of eight”, a silver coin of a specific weight that had a nominal value of eight “reales”.

46. Beehive State college player UTE
The Runnin’ Utes are the basketball team of the University of Utah. The team was given the nickname the Runnin’ Redskins back when Jack Gardner was the head coach from 1953 to 1971. The “Runnin'” part of the name was chosen because Gardner was famous for playing quick offenses. The “Redskins” name was later dropped in favor of the less controversial “Utes”.

When Mormon pioneers were settling what is today the state of Utah, they referred to the area as Deseret, a word that means “beehive” according to the Book of Mormon. Today Utah is known as the Beehive State and there is a beehive symbol on the Utah state flag.

48. Attila follower HUN
The Huns were a nomadic people who originated in Eastern Europe in the 4th century. Under the command of Attila the Hun they developed a unified empire that stretched from modern-day Germany across to the steppes of Central Asia. The whole of the Hunnic Empire collapsed within a year of Attila’s death in 453 AD.

49. Overact HAM UP
The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is apparently a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.

50. Big name in antivirus software NORTON
Norton Antivirus software is produced by Symantec. The Norton brand name originated with Peter Norton Computing, a company that Symantec acquired in 1990. Peter Norton’s most famous product was Norton Utilities, and he never produced an antivirus application. Symantec decided to use the respected Norton brand for the antivirus product that it developed and introduced in 1991.

52. “Dear Yoko” subject ONO
“Dear Yoko” is a song by John Lennon from the 1980 album “Double Fantasy”, which was released by Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono. “Double Fantasy” was released just three weeks before Lennon was murdered.

61. “Confidence in Motion” car SUBARU
Subaru is the automobile division of the Japanese company, Fuji Heavy Industries. The name “Subaru” is the Japanese name of the Pleiades star cluster. As a result, the Subaru logo is also a cluster of stars.

65. Designer of Hong Kong’s Bank of China Tower PEI
I. M. Pei (full name: Ieoh Ming Pei) is an exceptional American architect who was born in China. Of Pei’s many wonderful works, my favorite is the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, especially the Glass Pyramid in the courtyard.

The Bank of China Tower (often “BOC Tower) is a spectacular structure in Hong Kong, designed by I. M. Pei. Opened in 1990, the BOC Tower was the tallest building in Hong Kong at that time, and was also the first building constructed outside of North America to reach a height of over 1,000 feet.

66. Brain scan letters EEG
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG might be used to diagnose epilepsy, or perhaps to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.

Down
2. Airline to Tel Aviv EL AL
El Al Israel Airlines is the flag carrier of Israel. The term “el al” translates from Hebrew as “to the skies”.

The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv translates into “Spring Mound”, a name chosen in 1910.

3. Pageant for under-20s MISS TEEN USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant for girls between the ages of 14 and 19. The competition was first held in 1983, and since 2008 has been held in a resort located in Nassau in the Bahamas.

4. Drips in the ICU IVS
One might see intravenous drips (IVs) in an intensive care unit (ICU).

6. Editorial slips ERRATA
Errata is the past participle of the Latin word “errare” meaning “to err”. We use “errata” to mean a list of errors that have been noted in some publication.

7. Chicago Loop’s __ Center AON
The Aon Center in Chicago is the third-tallest building in the city. There is also an Aon Center in Los Angeles that is the second-tallest building the that city.

The historic commercial center of Chicago is known as the Loop. One theory is that the “loop” got its name from the cable loops in the city’s old cable car system.

10. Inspiring lesson, perhaps: Abbr. SER
Sermon (ser.)

12. Website clutter ADS
Yes, sorry about that …

14. “Fiddler on the Roof” song suggested twice by this puzzle’s circles SUNRISE, SUNSET
“Sunrise, Sunset” is a lovely song from the stage musical “Fiddler on the Roof”. My mother loves Perry Como’s version of the song …

The enduring musical “Fiddler on the Roof” is based on a collection of stories by Sholem Aleichem about Tevye, a milkman living in Tsarist Russia. The musical version of the tales first opened on Broadway in 1964. “Fiddler on the Roof” had such a long run that it became the first musical to reach 3,000 performances.

20. Place name meaning “snow-covered” NEVADA
The state of Nevada takes its name from the Sierra Nevada, which translates from Spanish as “snow-covered mountain range”.

26. With 27-Across, one end of the Dardanelles AEGEAN
(27. See 26-Down SEA)
The Aegean Sea is that part of the Mediterranean that lies between Greece and Turkey. Within the Aegean Sea are found the Aegean Islands, a group that includes Crete and Rhodes.

The Dardanelles is one of the two Turkish Straits, the other being the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus and the Dardanelles lie either side of the Sea of Marmara, allowing continuous navigation from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. The Turkish Straits also form the boundary between Europe and Asia.

27. Logo on some sports bras SWOOSH
I remember seeing Carolyn Davidson on the television show “I’ve Got a Secret”. Davidson created the Nike “swoosh” back in 1971 when she was a design student at Portland State. She came up with the design as freelance work for Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), a local company introducing a new line of athletic footwear. The “swoosh” is taken from the wing of the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. Years later, BRS changed its name to Nike, so I suppose the company can be grateful to Carolyn for both the great design, and a great company name.

30. Funny Foxx REDD
Redd Foxx was the stage name of John Elroy Sanford, best known for starring in “Sanford and Son”. “Sanford and Son” was an American version of a celebrated hit BBC sitcom that I grew up with in Ireland, called “Steptoe and Son”.

31. Writer Ferber EDNA
Edna Ferber was a novelist and playwright from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Ferber won a Pulitzer for her novel “So Big”, which was made into a film a few times, most famously in 1953 starring Jane Wyman.

32. Admits defeat SAYS “UNCLE”
To “say uncle” is an American expression meaning to submit or yield. Its usage dates back to the early 1900s, but nobody seems to know how “uncle!” came to mean “stop!”

34. Skin picture TATTOO
The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”.

39. NYC gallery district SOHO
The Manhattan neighborhood known today as SoHo was very fashionable in the early 1900s, but as the well-heeled started to move uptown the area became very run down and poorly maintained. Noted for the number of fires that erupted in derelict buildings, SoHo earned the nickname “Hell’s Hundred Acres”. The area was then zoned for manufacturing and became home to many sweatshops. In the mid-1900s artists started to move into open loft spaces and renovating old buildings as the lofts were ideal locations in which an artist could both live and work. In 1968, artists and others organized themselves so that they could legalize their residential use of an area zoned for manufacturing. The group they formed took its name from the name given to the area by the city’s Planning Commission i.e “South of Houston”. This was shortened from So-uth of Ho-uston to SoHo as in the SoHo Artists Association, and the name stuck.

51. “You’re fired!” speaker TRUMP
Donald Trump got into real estate development under the influence of his father, Fred Trump, a wealthy New York City developer, and founder of the Trump Organization.

“The Apprentice” was developed by producer Mark Burnett and first aired in 2004, famously with Donald Trump at the helm on air. Burnett was riding high at the time (and still is) following his successful adaptation of the British show “Survivor” for American audiences. “The Apprentice” is a really successful franchise now, with versions being recorded and aired all over Europe and in Africa, Australia and parts of Asia and the Middle East.

55. Bing results, briefly URLS
Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

Bing is the search engine from Microsoft. Bing is the latest name for an engine that Microsoft used to call Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search.

57. GOP member REP
The Republican Party has had the nickname Grand Old Party (GOP) since 1875. That said, the phrase was coined in the “Congressional Record” as “this gallant old party”. It was changed to “grand old party” in 1876 in an article in the “Cincinnati Commercial”.

59. “Nova” subj. SCI
“Nova” is an excellent science television series on PBS. “Nova” was created back in 1974, and was inspired by a very similar BBC show called “Horizon”, a show that I grew up with. Many “Nova” episodes are actually co-productions with the BBC with an American narrator used for the PBS broadcasts and a British narrator for the BBC broadcasts.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Downfall DEMISE
7. Msg. to squad cars APB
10. Luxury resort amenity SPA
13. “Savages” director Stone OLIVER
14. Unsportsmanlike sort SOREHEAD
16. Egyptian president during the Suez Crisis NASSER
17. One-piece garments UNITARDS
18. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie ELS
19. “Death in Venice” author MANN
21. Bugs on a highway VWS
22. Wobble TEETER
24. Gossip YENTA
27. See 26-Down SEA
28. Bird: Pref. AVI-
29. Tie up TETHER
31. Still-life pitchers EWERS
33. __ Martin: Bond’s car ASTON
35. Dating service datum AGE
36. Summer of songs DONNA
37. Narc’s org. DEA
38. Peso spender’s pronoun USTED
40. __-turn NO U
41. Brewery supply YEAST
43. “What a shame!” SO SAD!
44. Size up ASSESS
46. Beehive State college player UTE
48. Attila follower HUN
49. Overact HAM UP
50. Big name in antivirus software NORTON
52. “Dear Yoko” subject ONO
53. Rise precipitously SOAR
54. Coat lining FUR
57. Treatment for burnout REST CURE
61. “Confidence in Motion” car SUBARU
63. Has a knack for EXCELS AT
64. Online order confirmations EMAILS
65. Designer of Hong Kong’s Bank of China Tower PEI
66. Brain scan letters EEG
67. Far from abundant SPARSE

Down
1. “Ta-da!” DONE!
2. Airline to Tel Aviv EL AL
3. Pageant for under-20s MISS TEEN USA
4. Drips in the ICU IVS
5. Terse meeting request SEE ME
6. Editorial slips ERRATA
7. Chicago Loop’s __ Center AON
8. In on PRIVY TO
9. Like our secret BETWEEN US
10. Inspiring lesson, perhaps: Abbr. SER
11. Spot for notes PAD
12. Website clutter ADS
14. “Fiddler on the Roof” song suggested twice by this puzzle’s circles SUNRISE, SUNSET
15. “It __ hit me yet” HASN’T
20. Place name meaning “snow-covered” NEVADA
23. Draw wages EARN
25. Cheating victim’s cry THAT’S UNFAIR!
26. With 27-Across, one end of the Dardanelles AEGEAN
27. Logo on some sports bras SWOOSH
30. Funny Foxx REDD
31. Writer Ferber EDNA
32. Admits defeat SAYS “UNCLE”
34. Skin picture TATTOO
39. NYC gallery district SOHO
42. Champion, as a cause ESPOUSE
45. Overact EMOTE
47. Deletes ERASES
51. “You’re fired!” speaker TRUMP
55. Bing results, briefly URLS
56. Stratagem RUSE
57. GOP member REP
58. Program file suffix .EXE
59. “Nova” subj. SCI
60. Tattered tee, maybe RAG
62. Pipe up in the pasture BAA

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