LA Times Crossword 27 Feb 21, Saturday

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Constructed by: Matthew Sewell
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 11m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10 Yamaha’s Grizzly and Kodiak, briefly : ATVS

All-terrain vehicle (ATV)

The Japanese company Yamaha started out way back in 1888 as a manufacturer of pianos and reed organs. Even though the company has diversified since then, Yamaha’s logo still reflects its musical roots. Said logo is made up of three intersecting tuning forks, and can even be seen on Yamaha motorcycles and ATVs.

14 Francis used a Jeep Wrangler as one in 2015 : POPEMOBILE

The popemobile is actually a whole series of vehicles used since the days of Pope John Paul II. The popemobiles used on foreign visits are often manufactured locally and then stay in the country after the visit has been concluded. The British-built popemobile used for a 2006 visit to the UK was ultimately sold for over $70,000 at auction.

Pope Francis was elected as the 266th Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic church on 13 March 2013. The new pope is famously taking a much simpler and more modest approach to the office, as he did with his life back in Argentina. Francis is the first pope since 1903 not to reside in the papal residence, choosing to live instead in the less lavish Vatican guesthouse.

17 Distortion for a cause : PROPAGANDA

In 1622, Pope Gregory XV established a committee of cardinals charged with “propagating the faith”, with responsibility for missions aimed at growing the Roman Catholic Church. The committee was called “Congregation de Propaganda Fide”, using the Latin word “propaganda”, the feminine gerund of the verb “propagare” meaning “to propagate”. In the 18th century, the word “propaganda” from the committee’s name came to describe dissemination of a doctrine in general. During WWII, the term developed a negative connotation, which exists to this day.

18 “Santa Claus and His Works” artist, 1866 : NAST

Thomas Nast was an American caricaturist and cartoonist. He was the creator of the Republican Party elephant, the Democratic Party donkey, Uncle Sam and the image of the plump and jocular Santa Claus that we use today.

19 Cloud-based access provider? : ST PETER

In the Christian tradition, Saint Peter is often depicted as the keeper of the gates of heaven. This depiction arises from a passage in the Gospel of Matthew:

I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

20 Silver Spring, Md., is part of it : DC AREA

Silver Spring, Maryland is located at the northern tip of Washington, D.C. The area takes its name from a spring that was discovered there that contained chips of mica in its flow, giving it a silvery appearance.

32 Its co-founder said, “I do get disappointed that so many members spend so much time solving puzzles” : MENSA

Mensa is a high-IQ society that was founded in Oxford, England in 1946. The founders were two lawyers: Australian Roland Berrill and Englishman Lancelot Ware. Apparently, the elitist founders were unhappy with the development of Mensa, given that most members came from the working and lower classes.

33 French toast word : SANTE

“À votre santé” is French for “to your health”. Cheers!

34 Dandy : FOP

A dandy is a man who is overly fastidious with regard to his personal appearance. There’s a suggestion that the term originated in Scotland, where “Dandy” is a diminutive of the name “Andrew”. Back in the early 1800s, when the use of “dandy” was at its height, the female equivalent was a dandizette.

39 Backpacker’s chain : REI

REI is a sporting goods store, with the initialism standing for Recreational Equipment Inc. REI was founded in Seattle by Lloyd and Mary Anderson in 1938 as a cooperative that supplies quality climbing gear to outdoor enthusiasts. The first full-time employee hired by the Andersons was Jim Whittaker, who was the first American to climb Mount Everest.

40 Bucks : CLAMS

“Clam” is a slang term for “dollar”. It has been suggested that “clam” is a throwback to the supposed use of clams as units of currency in ancient cultures.

“Buck” is a slang term for “dollar”. The term has been around at least since 1856, and is thought to derive from the tradition of using buckskin as a unit of trade with Native Americans during the frontier days.

41 Provençal sauce : AIOLI

To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

Provence is a geographical region in France, in the south of the country. The region was once a Roman province called Provincia Romana, and was the first Roman province beyond the Alps. It is this Roman name “Provincia Romana” that gives Provence its name.

43 Often eponymous period : ERA

An eponym is a name for something derived from the name of a person, as in the food item we call a “sandwich”, named after the Earl of Sandwich.

49 Dish from Valencian for “frying pan” : PAELLA

Paella is sometimes referred to as the Spanish national dish, but not by Spaniards. In Spain, paella is regarded as a typical regional dish from Valencia.

Valencia is one of the autonomous communities of Spain, and is located in the east of the country on the Mediterranean Coast. Its capital city is also called Valencia, and is the third-largest city in the nation, after Madrid and Barcelona.

51 To whom Brando said, “I coulda been a contender” : STEIGER

Rod Steiger played some powerful roles on the screen, perhaps most memorably the Chief of Police in the 1967 drama “In the Heat of the Night” for which he won a Best Actor Oscar. Steiger was married five times, including a 10-year marriage to fellow actor Claire Bloom. Together Bloom and Steiger had a daughter, the British opera singer Anna Steiger.

Actor Marlon Brando really hit the big time with his Oscar-winning performance in the 1951 movie “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Brando went on to win another Best Actor Oscar for his performance in 1972’s “The Godfather”, which gave him the platform to establish himself as a political activist. He turned down the award and didn’t attend the ceremony. Instead he sent a Native American rights activist called Sacheen Littlefeather who made a speech protesting the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood movies. Brando wasn’t the first person to refuse an Oscar. George C. Scott did the same thing when he won for playing the title role in 1970’s “Patton”. Scott just didn’t like the whole idea of “competing” with other actors.

The 1954 drama “On the Waterfront”, starring Marlon Brando, told a story of violence and corruption among longshoremen. The movie was based on a series of 24 articles written by investigative journalist Malcolm Johnston and published in “The New York Sun”. The original news stories uncovered mob infiltration on the New York City Waterfront, but the location for the film was chosen as Hoboken, New Jersey.

55 Longtime morning host : RIPA

When Kelly Ripa secured the co-host spot on morning television with Regis Philbin, she was still acting in “All My Children” in a role she had been playing for over ten years. After a year of holding down two jobs, she eventually gave up the acting gig. Ripa has acted as spokeswoman for several brands over the years, including Electrolux and Rykä.

Down

5 Writer’s resource : 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.

7 Negroni need : GIN

The Negroni is a lovely cocktail that hails from Italy. A classic recipe calls for equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. According to legend, the drink was first made by bartender Forsco Scarselli at request of Count Camillo Negroni, hence the name. The count wanted a stronger version of an Americano, and so Scarselli dropped the Americano’s soda water and replaced it with gin!

10 Year’s record : ANNAL

“Annal” is a rarely used word, and is the singular of the more common “annals”. An annal would be the recorded events of one year, with annals being the chronological record of events in successive years. The term “annal” comes from the Latin “annus” meaning “year”.

11 Emotional oxymoron : TEARS OF JOY

The word “oxymoron” is in itself an oxymoron. It is derived from the Greek words “Oxys” and “moros” meaning “sharp” and “stupid” respectively.

13 Mex. title : SRTA

“Señorita” (Srta.) is Spanish, and “Mademoiselle” (Mlle.) is French, for “Miss”.

15 Like Amazonian society : MATRIARCHAL

The Amazons of Greek mythology were a tribe of female warriors who were the daughters of Ares and Harmonia.

21 Some WWII message transmitters : CODE TALKERS

There are more speakers of the Navajo (also “Navaho”) language than any other Native American language north of the US-Mexico border. Famously, the Navajo language was used by the “code talkers” in the Pacific Theater during WWII to send secure communications by radio. These Navajo “coded” messages were used in fast tactical communications, with one bilingual Navajo speaker talking over the radio to another speaker, and the two acting as translators at either end of the conversation. The Navajo code was never broken by the Japanese.

23 Certain horse race : CLAIMER

A claiming race is a thoroughbred horse race in which all of the entrants are for sale. Most races that are run in the US are claiming races.

25 It may lead to un matrimonio : AMORE

In Spanish, “amore” (love) might lead to “un matrimonio” (a marriage).

26 Ritual Jewish feast : SEDER

The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

27 The Mahabharata, e.g. : INDIAN EPIC

“Mahabharata” is a Sanskrit epic of ancient India that is the longest epic poem known, from anywhere in the world. It comprises about 1.8 million words, making it about ten times the length of the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” combined. It is only about four times the length of another major Sanskrit epic, the “Ramayana”.

30 Billabong Zoo resident : KOALA

The koala bear really does look like a little bear, but it’s not even closely related. The koala is an arboreal marsupial and a herbivore, native to the east and south coasts of Australia. Koalas aren’t primates, and are one of the few mammals other than primates who have fingerprints. In fact, it can be very difficult to tell human fingerprints from koala fingerprints, even under an electron microscope. Male koalas are called “bucks”, females are “does”, and young koalas are “joeys”. I’m a little jealous of the koala, as it sleeps up to 20 hours a day …

Billabong Zoo is a wildlife park in Port Macquarie, New South Wales that is famous as a major breeding center for koalas.

A billabong is a small lake in Australia that has been formed when the path of a river changes leaving a section of the waterway with nowhere to go. Here in North America we call the same geographic feature an oxbow lake.

31 Sail-extending pole : SPRIT

A sprit is a pole that extends out from a mast, one often supporting a special sail called a spritsail.

33 Red Baron attire, Snoopy-style : SCARF

Snoopy, the famous beagle in the “Peanuts” comic strip, has a number of alter-egos and is sometimes depicted as a World War I flying ace. Snoopy’s arch-enemy in the air is Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, and Snoopy can often be seen shaking his fist and crying out, “Curse you, Red Baron!”

37 Carrier to Malta : ALITALIA

Alitalia is the national airline of Italy. The name “Alitalia” is a melding of the Italian words “ali” (wings) and “Italia” (Italy).

42 1994 sci-fi memoir : I, ASIMOV

Isaac Asimov was a wonderful science fiction writer, and a professor of biochemistry. He was a favorite author as I was growing up and I must admit that some hero worship on my part led me to study and work as a biochemist for a short while early in my career. My favorite of his works is the collection of short stories called “I, Robot”, although Asimov’s most famous work is probably his “Foundation” trilogy of novels. Asimov wrote three autobiographies, the last of which was called “I, Asimov”, which was published in 1994, two years after his death.

45 Derby dads : PATERS

“Pater” is Latin for father, and is sometimes used to address one’s Dad in elite circles in the UK.

Derby is a city in the East Midlands of England. It had a major role to play in Britain’s Industrial Revolution due to the location of textile mills in the surrounding area. For example, Derby was home to the nation’s first water-powered silk mill, in 1717.

48 Cosmetic counter name : ESTEE

Estée Lauder was a very successful businesswoman, and someone with a great reputation as a 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 …

50 Musical with the song “Another Pyramid” : AIDA

The rock musical “Aida” is based on Giuseppe Verdi’s original opera. It premiered in 1998 and is still performed today. Music is by Elton John and lyrics are by Tim Rice.

53 Seine summers : ETES

The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. The Seine empties into the English Channel to the north, at the port city of Le Havre.

58 March Madness network : TNT

“TNT” stands for Turner Network Television. The TNT cable channel made a big splash in the eighties when it started to broadcast old MGM movies that had been “colorized”, not something that was a big hit with the public. In recent years, the TNT programming lineup is touted with the tagline “We Know Drama”.

“March Madness” is the name given to the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship (among others), that is held in the spring each year.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 From __: faintly : AFAR
5 Demanding quality : RIGOR
10 Yamaha’s Grizzly and Kodiak, briefly : ATVS
14 Francis used a Jeep Wrangler as one in 2015 : POPEMOBILE
16 Creep up on : NEAR
17 Distortion for a cause : PROPAGANDA
18 “Santa Claus and His Works” artist, 1866 : NAST
19 Cloud-based access provider? : ST PETER
20 Silver Spring, Md., is part of it : DC AREA
22 Places to learn perspective : ART SCHOOLS
25 “Given what we know … ” : AS IT IS …
28 Likely to carry : LOUD
29 Sanctions : OKS
32 Its co-founder said, “I do get disappointed that so many members spend so much time solving puzzles” : MENSA
33 French toast word : SANTE
34 Dandy : FOP
35 Irregular, as a job : ODD
36 Most provocative : RACIEST
38 Unsettle : JAR
39 Backpacker’s chain : REI
40 Bucks : CLAMS
41 Provençal sauce : AIOLI
43 Often eponymous period : ERA
44 Engage : HIRE
45 Feign interest in : PLAY AT
46 Pick-up artists? : NEAT FREAKS
49 Dish from Valencian for “frying pan” : PAELLA
51 To whom Brando said, “I coulda been a contender” : STEIGER
55 Longtime morning host : RIPA
56 One of several coming out together : LITTERMATE
59 Fix, in a way : EDIT
60 Arch supports : INNER SOLES
61 Clip : PACE
62 Gets in the game : ANTES
63 Sprawling : VAST

Down

1 Cell lineup : APPS
2 Stronghold : FORT
3 Per : A POP
4 Wins again : REPEATS
5 Writer’s resource : ROGET’S
6 Bridge beams : I-BARS
7 Negroni need : GIN
8 Worn out : OLD
9 Screen displays : READOUTS
10 Year’s record : ANNAL
11 Emotional oxymoron : TEARS OF JOY
12 Pottery wheel product : VASE
13 Mex. title : SRTA
15 Like Amazonian society : MATRIARCHAL
21 Some WWII message transmitters : CODE TALKERS
23 Certain horse race : CLAIMER
24 Tweaks : HONES
25 It may lead to un matrimonio : AMORE
26 Ritual Jewish feast : SEDER
27 The Mahabharata, e.g. : INDIAN EPIC
30 Billabong Zoo resident : KOALA
31 Sail-extending pole : SPRIT
33 Red Baron attire, Snoopy-style : SCARF
37 Carrier to Malta : ALITALIA
42 1994 sci-fi memoir : I, ASIMOV
45 Derby dads : PATERS
47 Thrill : ELATE
48 Cosmetic counter name : ESTEE
49 Make ready : PREP
50 Musical with the song “Another Pyramid” : AIDA
52 Bash : GALA
53 Seine summers : ETES
54 Catch one’s breath : REST
57 Overnight spot : INN
58 March Madness network : TNT