LA Times Crossword Answers 21 Jan 14, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: David Poole
THEME: Do They Exist? … today’s themed answers all relate to CRYPTOZOOLOGY, the pseudoscience of searching for animals whose existence has yet to be proven:

17A. Sighting in the Scottish Highlands LOCH NESS MONSTER
33A. Sighting in Douglas, Wyoming JACKALOPE
38A. Sighting in the Pacific Northwest SASQUATCH
53A. One studying this puzzle’s sightings CRYPTOZOOLOGIST

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 04m 56s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Speeder’s undoing RADAR
Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called Radio Detection And Ranging, which was shortened to the acronym RADAR.

6. TiVo ancestor VCR
TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

14. Erie Canal city UTICA
Utica in New York is known as “Second Chance City” these days, due to the recent influx of refugees from war-torn parts of the world and from Bosnia in particular. These immigrants have helped revitalize the area and reverse a trend of population loss.

The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, the Erie Canal had immediate impact on the economy of New York City and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname of “the Empire State”. Paradoxically, one of the project’s main proponents was severely criticized. New York Governor DeWitt Clinton received so much ridicule that the canal was nicknamed “Clinton’s Folly” and “Clinton’s Ditch”.

16. Big name in computer chips INTEL
Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The company was founded in 1968, and the name “Intel” is a derived from the term “int(egrated) el(ectronics)”.

17. Sighting in the Scottish Highlands LOCH NESS MONSTER
The Loch Ness monster has been talked about for centuries, but modern interest started in 1933 when a spate of sightings was reported. Those sightings don’t seem to have stopped, with photographs of what is purported to be the monster really sparking the imagination.

20. Accident scene fig. EMT
Emergency medical technician (EMT)

22. “By Jove!” ZOUNDS!
“Zounds!” is an expression of anger or surprise, an alteration of “(by) God’s wounds!”

“By Jove” is a mild oath, calling on the Roman god Jove, also known as Jupiter.

33. Sighting in Douglas, Wyoming JACKALOPE
A “jackalope” is a mythical creature that is said to look like a jackrabbit with antelope horns, hence the name “jackalope”, from “jackrabbit” and “antelope”. Stories of jackalopes started to abound in the thirties when a hunter from Douglas, Wyoming grafted deer antlers onto the carcass of a jackrabbit and sold the stuffed “animal” to a local hotel. The city of Douglas has embraced the myth and has issued hunting licences for jackalopes, good for only one day, June 31 (think about it!).

35. Belgrade citizen SERB
Serbs are an ethnic group native to the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Although Serbs exist as a minority group in many countries in the region, they are the majority ethnic group in Serbia, in Montenegro and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Belgrade is the capital city of Serbia. The name Belgrade translates into “White City”.

36. Singer Horne and actress Olin LENAS
Lena Horne was an American jazz singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne started out her career as a nightclub singer and then began to get some meaty acting roles in Hollywood. However, she ended up on the blacklist during the McCarthy Era for expressing left wing political views. One of Horne’s starring roles was in the 1943 movie “Stormy Weather” for which she also performed the title song.

The lovely Lena Olin is a Swedish actress, clearly someone who had acting in her blood. Her mother was the actress Britta Holmberg and her father the actor and director Stig Olin. Olin had a very successful career in Sweden, often working with the great Ingmar Bergman. Olin’s breakthrough international and English-speaking role was playing opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” released in 1988. Way back in 1974, the lovely Miss Olin was crowned Miss Scandinavia in a beauty pageant for Nordic women held in Helsinki, Finland.

37. Continental coin EURO
The European Union (EU) today stands at a membership of 27 states. The Euro is the official currency of only 16 of the 27. The list of states in the EU that don’t use the Euro includes the UK, Denmark and Sweden.

38. Sighting in the Pacific Northwest SASQUATCH
The sasquatch or bigfoot is our North American equivalent of the yeti, the ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayas. Bigfoot is supposedly hiding out mainly in the Pacific Northwest of North America.

40. Grammy winner Carpenter KAREN
Karen Carpenter was an accomplished drummer, although she only started playing drums in high school, as a member of the school band. After she graduated she started playing jazz with her brother, Richard, and a college friend. Later, she and Richard played with a group called Spectrum, and submitted many demo tapes to recording companies, but all were unsuccessful. Finally, Karen and Richard got a recording contract with A&M Records, and when they had Karen take the lead on their songs, they hit the big time and toured as the Carpenters. Sadly, of course, Karen passed away at only 32-years-old, dying from heart failure brought on by anorexia.

42. Christie’s “Death on the __” NILE
Agatha Christie wrote a very successful crime novel called “Death on the Nile” that was first published in 1937. That novel had started off life as a play, which was was never performed, one that Christie called “Moon on the Nile”. Christie then adapted the novel back into a play again calling it “Murder on the Nile”, which opened in London in 1946.

Not only did Agatha Christie write a fabulous collection of murder-mystery stories, she also wrote romances, but under the pen name Mary Westmacott. I’ve read almost all of Christie’s 66 detective novels, but I must admit, not one of her romance novels.

44. Mani’s salon go-with PEDI
Manicure & pedicure (mani-pedi)

49. Gaucho’s weapon BOLA
Bolas are heavy balls connected by cords that constitute a throwing weapon. Bolas are often used to capture animals by tripping them as they run. The weapon is usually associated with gauchos, the South American cowboys.

50. “__ the season …” ‘TIS
“‘Tis the season to be jolly” is a line from the traditional Yuletide carol “Deck the Halls”. The tune itself is Welsh in origin, dating back to the 16th century. However, the lyrics are American and from the 19th century. Also, Mozart used the tune as a theme for a delightful violin and piano duet.

53. One studying this puzzle’s sightings CRYPTOZOOLOGIST
The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology.

56. “Je __, donc je suis”: Descartes PENSE
The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”. This translates into French as “Je pense, donc je suis” and into English as “I think, therefore I am”.

58. Shade of green from Ireland KELLY
Kelly green is a strong yellowish green, and was given its name back in the early 1900s. The name was apparently chosen because green is popular in Ireland, and Kelly is a common Irish family name.

60. Skid row affliction DTS
The episodes of delirium that can accompany withdrawal from alcohol are called Delirium Tremens (the DTs). The literal translation of this Latin phrase is “trembling madness”.

The term “skid row” is used to describe a run-down urban neighborhood. “Skid row” appears to have originated in the Pacific Northwest where a “skid road” was a wooden pathway used for “skidding” logs through forests and over bogs. The terms “skid road” and “skid row” came to be used for logging camps and mills, and then somehow was applied to run-down areas in cities up and down the west coast of North America.

61. Lauder of cosmetics ESTEE
Estée Lauder was quite the successful businesswoman, with a reputation as a great salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

Down
3. Webster’s, e.g.: Abbr. DICT
Not only is Noah Webster’s name inextricably linked with his series of dictionaries, but he is also renowned as an advocate for English spelling reform. He argued that “traditional” English is hard to learn, and that it should be simplified and standardized. He published spelling books that were used in schools, and from edition to edition he changed the spelling of words in order to simplify the language. Examples are the use of “s” over “c” in words like “defense” (In Ireland we have defence and defense depending on usage), “-re” became “-er” as in center instead of centre (reversing the influence of French), and he dropped one of the Ls in words like traveler (I learned “traveller”). Mind you, he also spelled “tongue” as “tung”, but he didn’t get very far with that one.

4. Essen exclamation ACH!
The German exclamation “ach!” is usually translated into English as “oh!”

5. Madison Square Garden hockey team RANGERS
Madison Square Garden is an arena in New York City used for a variety of events. In the world of sports it is home to the New York Rangers of the NHL, as well as the New York Knicks of the NBA. “The Garden” is also the third busiest music venue in the world in terms of ticket sales. The current arena is the fourth structure to bear the name, a name taken from the Madison Square location in Manhattan. In turn, the square was named for James Madison, the fourth President of the US.

8. Piña colada liquor RUM
“Piña colada” is a Spanish term which translates into “strained pineapple”. The Piña colada cocktail was introduced in the Caribe Hilton San Juan in 1954, and since 1978 it has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico. Yum …

9. Konica __: Japanese conglomerate MINOLTA
Minolta was a Japanese manufacturer of cameras and related products. Minolta was founded in 1928 to make cameras using imported German technology. One of the company’s most memorable products was the world’s first integrated autofocus 35mm SLR camera. Minolta merged with Konica in 2003, forming Konica Minolta.

11. Business letter abbr. ATTN
Attention (attn.)

13. Camera types, for short SLRS
SLR stands for “single lens reflex”. Usually cameras with changeable lenses are the SLR type. The main feature of an SLR is that a mirror reflects the image seen through the lens out through the viewfinder, so that the photographer sees exactly what the lens sees. The mirror moves out of the way as the picture is taken, and the image that comes through the lens falls onto unexposed film, or nowadays onto a digital sensor.

19. Missouri range OZARKS
The Ozark Mountains aren’t really mountains geographically speaking, and the Ozarks are better described by the alternate name, the Ozark Plateau. It’s not really certain how the Ozarks got their name, but my favorite theory is that “Ozarks” is the phonetic spelling of “aux Arks”, short for “of Arkansas” in French.

23. Potato chip flavor, briefly BAR-B-Q
It is believed that our word “barbecue” comes from the Taíno people of the Caribbean in whose language “barbacoa” means “sacred fire pit”.

24. Prophet whose name sounds like a mineral MICAH
The Book of Micah is one of twelve books in the Bible written by the so called minor prophets. The name “Micah” translates into English from Hebrew as “Who is like God?”

Mica is a mineral, a sheet silicate. Thin sheets of mica are transparent and are used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass, and as it has a better thermal performance than glass it is a great choice for “peepholes’ in boilers and lanterns. Mica is also used in the electronics industry, making use of its unique electrical and thermal insulating properties.

25. __ nova: Brazilian music genre BOSSA
Bossa Nova is a style of music from Brazil that evolved from samba. The most famous piece of bossa nova is the song “The Girl from Ipanema”.

27. Viking language NORSE
The Vikings were a Germanic people from northern Europe who were noted as great seafarers. Key to the success of the Vikings was the design of their famous “longships”. Made from wood, the longship was long and narrow with a shallow hull, It was also light, so that the crew would actually carry it small distances over land and around obstacles. Longships were designed to be propelled both by sail and by oars.

28. Hula or hora DANCE
Hula is the name of the Polynesian dance. The chant or song that the dance illustrates, that’s known as the mele.

The hora (also “horah”) is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. The hora was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional Israeli folk songs. The dance is a regular sight at Jewish weddings and at bar and bat mitzvahs. At such events, it is common for the honorees to be raised on chairs during the dance.

31. Lowly laborers PEONS
A peon is a lowly worker with no real control over his/her working conditions. The word comes into English from Spanish where it has the same meaning.

33. Beijing-born martial arts actor JET LI
The actor Jet Li’s real name is Li Jian Jie. Jet Li is a martial artist and international film star from Beijing, China. He played a villain in “Lethal Weapon 4”, and had a leading role in the 2000 movie “Romeo Must Die”.

36. Stopped the ship, in nautical lingo LAID TO
A boat is said to lie to when it is held stationary with its head into the wind, it “lies” with the bow pointing “to” the wind.

40. Bar sing-along KARAOKE
“Karaoke” translates from Japanese as “open orchestra”, and the related word “karate” translates as “open hand”.

43. Expanse near the Capitol, with “the” MALL
The National Mall is a park in downtown Washington, D.C. The National Mall is home to several museums that are part of the Smithsonian, as well as the National Gallery of Art.

44. Coke competitor PEPSI
The Pepsi-Cola formulation was developed by one Caleb Bradham who made the drink at home and sold it as “Brad’s Drink”. Bradham’s aim was to provide a drink that was pleasant to taste, that would aid digestion and boost energy. Included in the formula were pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and kola nuts. These two ingredients inspired the Pepsi Cola brand name that is used today.

45. Churlish types BOORS
A churl is rude and boorish person. The word “churl” comes from the Old English word “ceorl”, meaning a freeman of the lowest class.

47. “… __ saw Elba” ERE I
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”.

48. “Auld Lang __” SYNE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve, the words of which were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

50. Pinball foul TILT
In a game of pinball, some players get an irresistible urge to “nudge” the machine . Such a nudge, a movement of the machine designed to influence the path taken by the ball, is called a “tilt”. Most pinball machines have sensors designed to detect a tilt, and when activated a “tilt” warning light comes on and the player’s controls are temporarily disabled.

Our modern game of pinball evolved from an earlier table game called bagatelle which used balls, pins and holes (and I remember playing bagatelle as boy in a pub in Ireland). The first “pinball” machine was made by a British inventor who settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. He modified the game of bagatelle, adding a coiled spring and a plunger to introduce balls at the end of the table, a device that is still in use today. From there manufacturers developed coin-operated versions of pinball, which became popular during the depression as they provided a little entertainment for a few pennies. One distributor of the coin-operated pinball machines started manufacturing them himself as he couldn’t source new games fast enough. He called his pinball game Ballyhoo, and eventually named his company Bally, a brand name well known in the gambling industry to this day.

51. __ of Wight ISLE
The Isle of Wight is the largest island in England, and lies about five miles off the south coast of the country.

54. Last letter, in Leeds ZED
I went to school for a while not far from Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Leeds was a major center for the production and trading of wool, and then with the onset of mechanization it became a natural hub for manufacture of textiles. These days Leeds is noted as a shopping destination and so has been dubbed “the Knightsbridge of the North”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Speeder’s undoing RADAR
6. TiVo ancestor VCR
9. Wherewithal MEANS
14. Erie Canal city UTICA
15. Letters for debtors IOU
16. Big name in computer chips INTEL
17. Sighting in the Scottish Highlands LOCH NESS MONSTER
20. Accident scene fig. EMT
21. Gallop or canter GAIT
22. “By Jove!” ZOUNDS!
23. Cream of the crop BEST
24. Like plugs vis-à-vis outlets MALE
25. Using only ones and zeros BINARY
28. __-cheap: for a song DIRT
29. Recipe amt. TSP
32. Air freshener targets ODORS
33. Sighting in Douglas, Wyoming JACKALOPE
35. Belgrade citizen SERB
36. Singer Horne and actress Olin LENAS
37. Continental coin EURO
38. Sighting in the Pacific Northwest SASQUATCH
40. Grammy winner Carpenter KAREN
41. Pub brew ALE
42. Christie’s “Death on the __” NILE
43. Large crowds MASSES
44. Mani’s salon go-with PEDI
45. Uncovered BARE
46. Find a new table for RESEAT
49. Gaucho’s weapon BOLA
50. “__ the season …” ‘TIS
53. One studying this puzzle’s sightings CRYPTOZOOLOGIST
56. “Je __, donc je suis”: Descartes PENSE
57. Corn unit EAR
58. Shade of green from Ireland KELLY
59. Promotional ploy TIE-IN
60. Skid row affliction DTS
61. Lauder of cosmetics ESTEE

Down
1. Run the kingdom RULE
2. Electron home ATOM
3. Webster’s, e.g.: Abbr. DICT
4. Essen exclamation ACH!
5. Madison Square Garden hockey team RANGERS
6. Drop in on VISIT
7. What you pay COST
8. Piña colada liquor RUM
9. Konica __: Japanese conglomerate MINOLTA
10. Happen next ENSUE
11. Business letter abbr. ATTN
12. On a __-to-know basis NEED
13. Camera types, for short SLRS
18. “A snap!” EASY!
19. Missouri range OZARKS
23. Potato chip flavor, briefly BAR-B-Q
24. Prophet whose name sounds like a mineral MICAH
25. __ nova: Brazilian music genre BOSSA
26. Exemplary IDEAL
27. Viking language NORSE
28. Hula or hora DANCE
29. Travels with the band TOURS
30. Binge SPREE
31. Lowly laborers PEONS
33. Beijing-born martial arts actor JET LI
34. Apartment contract LEASE
36. Stopped the ship, in nautical lingo LAID TO
39. Still on the plate UNEATEN
40. Bar sing-along KARAOKE
43. Expanse near the Capitol, with “the” MALL
44. Coke competitor PEPSI
45. Churlish types BOORS
46. Sales slip: Abbr. RCPT
47. “… __ saw Elba” ERE I
48. “Auld Lang __” SYNE
49. Tub toy BOAT
50. Pinball foul TILT
51. __ of Wight ISLE
52. Eye sore STYE
54. Last letter, in Leeds ZED
55. Some refrigerators GES

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