LA Times Crossword 11 Oct 19, Friday

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Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Leg Up

Themed answers are each in the across-direction, and include the letters LEG written in the UP-direction:

  • 63A Assistance, with “a” … and literal assistance in solving the four longest answers : … LEG UP
  • 15A Vermont alma mater of Alan Arkin and Peter Dinklage : BENNINGTON COLLEGE
  • 29A Coin of the realm : LEGAL TENDER
  • 39A “MythBusters” target : URBAN LEGEND
  • 55A ’50s-’70s carrier with a Pittsburgh hub : ALLEGHENY AIRLINES

Bill’s time: 10m 10s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • GAG ORDER (gagarder!!!!!)
  • SANTO (Santa!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Long-term astronaut’s home: Abbr. : ISS

The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular facility that comprises components launched into space by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets, and by American Space Shuttles. The station has been occupied by astronauts and scientists continually since November, 2000.

4 Old TWA competitor : PAN AM

Pan American World Airways (usually just “Pan Am”) started out as a mail and passenger service between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba in 1927. From very early in the company’s life it was the de facto representative air carrier of the United States. For many years, Pan Am’s fleet was built around the Boeing 314 Clipper, a long-range flying boat that was one of the largest aircraft around at the time. Pan Am adopted the Clipper as part of its image, even using “clipper” as the call sign for its flights.

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan Am and TWA’s purchase by Howard Hughes, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the initialism “TWA”) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.

9 FBI figure : AGT

Agent (agt.)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was set up in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), with the name changing in 1935. The Bureau was set up at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was largely moved to do so after the 1901 assassination of President McKinley, as there was a perception that anarchists were threatening law and order. The FBI’s motto uses the organization’s initialism, and is “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity”.

12 Mauna __ : KEA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

13 Sister of Terpsichore : ERATO

In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses is a subject of debate at times, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

  • Calliope (epic poetry)
  • Clio (history)
  • Erato (lyric poetry)
  • Euterpe (music)
  • Melpomene (tragedy)
  • Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
  • Terpsichore (dance)
  • Thalia (comedy)
  • Urania (astronomy)

Before the adoption of the nine muses of Greek mythology, there were originally three muses, the three Boeotian Muses. These were:

  • Mneme (memory)
  • Melete (meditation)
  • Aoede (song)

14 “But, as he was ambitious, I __ him” : Brutus : SLEW

In William Shaekspeare’s play “Julius Caesar”, Brutus addresses a crowd in an attempt to justify his involvement in the assassination of the Roman leader. He states that he acted not out of jealousy or anger, and praises Caesar as a soldier and leader:

As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it. As he was valiant, I honor him. But, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love, joy for his fortune, honor for his valor, and death for his ambition.

15 Vermont alma mater of Alan Arkin and Peter Dinklage : BENNINGTON COLLEGE

Bennington College is a private school in Bennington, Vermont that was founded a women’s college in 1932, with men admitted for the first time in 1969. Bennington is noted for its visual and performing arts program. The list of alumni from Bennington’s drama school includes Alan Arkin, Carol Channing and Peter Dinklage.

Actor Alan Arkin won his only Oscar (Best Supporting Actor) for his role in “Little Miss Sunshine” from 2006, a movie that I just did not understand …

Actor Peter Dinklage is a best known perhaps for portraying Tyrion Lannister in the hit TV show “Game of Thrones”. His breakthrough movie role was Finbar McBride in 2003’s comedy-drama “The Station Agent”.

18 Provides with an alarm code, perhaps : ABETS

The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.

19 Timeworn phrase : BROMIDE

A bromide is a compound containing a bromide ion i.e. a bromine atom with a singular negative charge. Potassium bromide was commonly used as a sedative in the 19th century, and this led to our use of the term “bromide” to mean “boring cliché” or “verbal sedative”.

25 “Bambi” doe : ENA

Ena is Bambi’s aunt in the 1942 Disney film “Bambi”. The movie is based on the novel “Bambi, A Life in the Woods” written by Austrian author Felix Salten and first published in 1923. There is a documented phenomenon known as the Bambi Effect, whereby people become more interested in animal rights after having watched the scene where Bambi’s mother is shot by hunters.

26 Andy is her nephew : AUNT BEE

Aunt Bee is a character in “The Andy Griffith Show”. The character’s full name is Beatrice Taylor but everyone in Mayberry calls her “Aunt Bee”. In the storyline, she is the aunt of protagonist Sheriff Andy Taylor, and great-aunt to Andy’s son Opie. Aunt Bee was played by actress Frances Bavier.

28 Boomer? : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

31 Disco era adjective : GO-GO

Go-go dancing started in the early sixties. Apparently, the first go-go dancers were women at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City who would spontaneously jump up onto tables and dance the twist. It wasn’t long before clubs everywhere started hiring women to dance on tables for the entertainment of their patrons. Out in Los Angeles, the “Whisky a Go Go” club on Sunset Strip added a twist (pun intended!), as they had their dancers perform in cages suspended from the ceiling, creating the profession of “cage dancing”. The name “go-go” actually comes from two expressions. The expression in English “go-go-go” describes someone who is high energy, and the French expression “à gogo” describes something in abundance.

32 Robert of “The Sopranos” : ILER

Actor Robert Iler’s most famous role was A.J., son of mob leader Tony Soprano in HBO’s “The Sopranos”. Apparently Iler’s screen persona has spilled over into his personal life, as he was arrested for armed robbery of two tourists in 2001 (and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge).

36 Infant’s place in Hyde Park : PRAM

Another word used in the UK that’s rarely used over here is “pram”, which in my day was the most common term for what is called a “baby carriage” in the US. “Pram” is short for “perambulator”.

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London. A famous element in Hyde Park is Speakers’ Corner, which is located in the northeast corner of the park. Speakers’ Corner was the site of the infamous Tyburn gallows that was used for public executions in centuries past. Today, Speakers’ Corner is a site for public speech and debate, and a center for public protest. Some say that the tradition of allowing free speech at the site dates back to the condemned man being allowed to say his final words prior to execution at the Tyburn gallows.

39 “MythBusters” target : URBAN LEGEND

“MythBusters” is an entertaining TV show which was originally hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage. Prior to the launch of “Mythbusters”, Hyneman and Savage had both developed careers in the world of special effects. In the show, the hosts test the validity of myths and assumptions used in famous movie scenes.

44 Gloaming, in verse : E’EN

“Gloaming” is an alternative word for “twilight, dusk”, and is often used poetically. The word is particularly associated with Scottish poetry, and notably the work of Robert Burns.

45 NAPA store item : FAN BELT

The fan belt on an engine transfers torque from the crankshaft to the cooling fan.

The National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA) is a retailers’ cooperative that supplies replacement parts for cars and trucks.

50 Ali, per Ali : GREATEST

One of Muhammad Ali’s famous most famous lines is “I am the greatest!” So famous is the line that in 1963, Ali released an album of spoken word that had the title “I Am the Greatest!”

52 Perch in a lullaby : TREETOP

“Rock-a-Bye Baby” is a lullaby, the history of which is much debated. Some say it originated in England, and others claim that it was the first poem that was written on American soil.

Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop,
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.

55 ’50s-’70s carrier with a Pittsburgh hub : ALLEGHENY AIRLINES

From 1953, what we recently referred to as US Airways was called Allegheny Airlines. In the seventies, customers became very dissatisfied with the company’s service levels as it struggled to manage a rapid expansion in its number of flights. These problems earned the airline the nickname “Agony Air”. Allegheny tried to leave the “agony” behind in 1979 and changed its name to USAir, but commuters then just used the nickname “Unfortunately Still Allegheny”. The name was changed again, in 1997, to US Airways. US Airways merged with American Airlines in 2013, and the “US Airways” brand name was gradually replaced with “American Airlines”.

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) provides passenger service, but also is home to a military facility operated by the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard. The world’s leading caterer to airlines, LSG SkyChefs, makes all of its meals for North and South America in its facility at PIT.

59 Genre with hard-boiled characters : NOIR

The expression “film noir” has French origins, but only in that it was coined by a French critic in describing a style of Hollywood film. The term, meaning “black film” in French, was first used by Nino Frank in 1946. Film noir often applies to a movie with a melodramatic plot and a private eye or detective at its center. Good examples would be “The Big Sleep” and “D.O.A”.

64 Small amount of work : ERG

An erg is a unit of mechanical work or energy. It is a small unit, with one joule comprising 10 million ergs. it has been suggested that an erg is about the amount of energy required for a mosquito to take off. The term comes from “ergon”, the Greek word for work.

Down

1 Floral art : IKEBANA

The Japanese art of flower arranging is very much focused on minimalism, the use of a minimum number of blooms arranged among a few stalks and leaves.

2 French-speaking African country : SENEGAL

The Republic of Senegal is a country on the far western coast of Africa. For many years Senegal was a French colony, gaining independence in 1960. The capital of Senegal is Dakar. Dakar is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, thus making it the westernmost capital on the African mainland.

3 __ Domingo : SANTO

Santo Domingo de Guzmán (often just “Santo Domingo”) is the capital city of the Dominican Republic. Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit what is now the Dominican Republic, in 1492. Four years later Christopher’s younger brother, Bartholomew Columbus arrived, and founded Santo Domingo, making the city the oldest, continuously-inhabited European settlement in the Americas.

5 Braz. neighbor : ARG

Argentina is the second largest country in South America (after Brazil), and the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation. The name “Argentina” comes from the Latin “argentum”, the word for “silver”. It is thought that the name was given by the early Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who also named the Rio de la Plata (the “Silver River”). Those early explorers got hold of lots of silver objects that they found among the native population.

6 D.C. athlete : NAT

The Washington Nationals (“Nats”) started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969, and were the first Major League Baseball team in Canada. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats. There are only two Major Leagues teams that have never played in a World Series, one being the Mariners and the other the Nats.

8 Louisiana Purchase negotiator who later became president : MONROE

James Monroe was the fifth US President, and the last of the Founding Fathers to hold the highest office. Famously, he presided over the Era of Good Feelings, when there was very little partisan strife in Washington. President Monroe racked up a lot of debt while in politics and so when he retired he had to sell off a lot of his property and struggled financially for the remainder of his life. Monroe was one of three US presidents to pass away on American Independence Day (along with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams). Monroe died on July 4th 1831.

In the Louisiana Purchase, the US government bought French Louisiana from France. Soon after the purchase was made, the newly acquired land was split into the Orleans Territory (lands south of the 33rd parallel) and the Louisiana Territory (lands north of the 33rd parallel). The Louisiana Territory stretched northwards as far as the Great Lakes, and the seat of government was chosen as the city of St. Louis. Just to confuse everyone (such as foreigners like me), the Orleans Territory was admitted to the Union in 1812 as the State of Louisiana. At the same time, in a measure designed to prevent confusion, the Louisiana Territory was renamed to the Territory of Missouri.

10 Castrated equine : GELDING

A gelding is a castrated male equine, such as a horse, donkey or mule. The noun “gelding” comes from the verb “to geld”, which describes the castration procedure.

A female donkey/ass is known as a jenny, and a male is known as a jack, or sometimes “jackass”. We started using the term “jackass” to mean “fool” in the 1820s.

There are seven living species of mammals in the genus Equus, each of which is referred to as “equine”. The seven species include all horses, asses and zebras. All equine species can crossbreed. For example, a mule is a cross between a male donkey and a female horse, and a zorse is a cross between a zebra and a horse.

15 Torus-shaped food : BAGEL

A torus (plural “tori”) is a shape resembling a doughnut.

16 Nation since 1948 : ISRAEL

The land that is now Israel was ruled by the British after WWI as the British Mandate of Palestine. The British evacuated the area after WWII, largely responding to pressure from both Jewish and Arab nationalist movements. The British Mandate expired on 14 May 1948 and the State of israel was established at the same time. This declaration of a new state was followed by the immediate invasion of the area by four Arab countries and the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A ceasefire was declared after a year of fighting, and tension has persisted in the region ever since.

21 Sci-fi classic set on an arid world : DUNE

The less than successful 1984 movie “Dune” (directed by David Lynch) was an adaptation of the spectacularly successful 1965 novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert.

22 Gridiron maneuver : END RUN

We never used the word “gridiron” when I was growing up in Ireland (meaning a grill used for cooking food over an open fire). So, maybe I am excused for taking two decades as a US resident to work out that a football field gridiron is so called because the layout of yard lines over the field looks like a gridiron used in cooking!

23 GPS datum : RTE

A global positioning system (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).

30 Cratchit kid : TIM

“Tiny Tim” is the nickname of Timothy Cratchit, a character in the Charles Dickens novella “A Christmas Carol”. Tiny Tim is the son of Ebenezer Scrooge’s underpaid clerk Bob Cratchit, and is a sickly child. Famously, the child utters the words “God bless us, every one!” at Christmas dinner, which words are repeated by the author at the end of the story.

34 Large word on a mall sign : SALE

Surprisingly (to me!), our word “mall”, meaning “shady walk” or “enclosed shopping space”, comes from the Italian for “mallet”. All of our shopping-style malls are named for “The Mall” in St. James’s Park in London. This tree-lined promenade was so called as it used to a famous spot to play the croquet-like game called “pall-mall”. The game derived its name from the Italian for ball (palla) and mallet “maglio”. The London thoroughfare called the Mall still exists, at one end of which is Buckingham Palace. Indeed, parallel to the Mall is a street called Pall Mall.

36 Compound with five carbon atoms : PENTANE

Pentane is an alkane containing five carbon atoms, hence the name. Pentane is a liquid at room temperature, and is commonly used as a solvent in a laboratory.

40 “Notorious” court initials : RBG

The 2015 book “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” was co-written by Shana Knizhnik and Iris Carmon. Knizhnik had previously authored a “Notorious R.B.G” blog. The moniker “Notorious RBG” is reminiscent of the name of rap star the Notorious B.I.G.

41 Franklin’s wife : ELEANOR

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. “Eleanor” met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was her father’s fifth cousin, in 1902. The two started “walking out together” the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Theodore Roosevelt.

49 Very, in Vienna : SEHR

“Wien” is the German name for “Vienna”. Just like Berlin, Vienna was occupied by the four allied powers after WWII. In 1948, West Berlin was famously blockaded by the Soviet Union, leading to the remarkable Berlin Airlift that kept the city open. If the same thing had happened in Vienna, things would have been more complicated, as there was no airport in the western zone.

51 Erie or Huron, but not Superior : TRIBE

The Erie people lived on lands south of Lake Erie, in parts of the modern-day US states of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Erie were sometimes referred to as the Cat Nation, a reference to the mountain lions that were ever-present in the area that they lived. The name “Erie” is a shortened form of “Erielhonan” meaning “long tail”, possibly a further reference to the mountain lion or cat, which was possibly used as a totem. The Erie people gave their name to the Great Lake.

The Native Americans known as the Wyandot people are also called the Huron. The Wyandot people mainly inhabit a reservation in Quebec.

56 2008 bailout co. : AIG

“AIG” is an initialism used by the American International Group, a giant insurance corporation. After repeated bailouts by American taxpayers starting in 2008, the company made some serious PR blunders by spending large amounts of money on executive entertainment and middle management rewards. These included a $444,000 California retreat, an $86,000 hunting trip in England, and a $343,000 getaway to a luxury resort in Phoenix. Poor judgment, I’d say …

57 Ames sch. : ISU

Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) is located in Ames, Iowa. Among many other notable milestones, ISU created the country’s first school of veterinary medicine, in 1879. The sports teams of ISU are known as the Cyclones.

58 House fig. : REP

The number of seats in the US House of Representatives has been 435 since the year 1913, although there was a temporary increase to 437 seats at the time of the admission of Alaska and Hawaii to the Union. The number of representatives assigned to each state is proportional to that state’s population, except that each state is guaranteed a minimum of one delegate by the US Constitution.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Long-term astronaut’s home: Abbr. : ISS
4 Old TWA competitor : PAN AM
9 FBI figure : AGT
12 Mauna __ : KEA
13 Sister of Terpsichore : ERATO
14 “But, as he was ambitious, I __ him” : Brutus : SLEW
15 Vermont alma mater of Alan Arkin and Peter Dinklage : BENNINGTON COLLEGE
18 Provides with an alarm code, perhaps : ABETS
19 Timeworn phrase : BROMIDE
20 Judicial prohibition : GAG ORDER
24 Party nudge : OPEN IT
25 “Bambi” doe : ENA
26 Andy is her nephew : AUNT BEE
28 Boomer? : TNT
29 Coin of the realm : LEGAL TENDER
31 Disco era adjective : GO-GO
32 Robert of “The Sopranos” : ILER
33 “Got it” : I SEE
36 Infant’s place in Hyde Park : PRAM
39 “MythBusters” target : URBAN LEGEND
44 Gloaming, in verse : E’EN
45 NAPA store item : FAN BELT
47 Green span : LEA
48 Bothers, as one’s conscience : NAGS AT
50 Ali, per Ali : GREATEST
52 Perch in a lullaby : TREETOP
54 Fuming : IRATE
55 ’50s-’70s carrier with a Pittsburgh hub : ALLEGHENY AIRLINES
59 Genre with hard-boiled characters : NOIR
60 Greet the day : ARISE
61 Encumber, with “down” : BOG …
62 Letters replacing a list : ETC
63 Assistance, with “a” … and literal assistance in solving the four longest answers : … LEG UP
64 Small amount of work : ERG

Down

1 Floral art : IKEBANA
2 French-speaking African country : SENEGAL
3 __ Domingo : SANTO
4 Author : PEN
5 Braz. neighbor : ARG
6 D.C. athlete : NAT
7 Small step : A TO B
8 Louisiana Purchase negotiator who later became president : MONROE
9 Utterly enrapt with : ALL INTO
10 Castrated equine : GELDING
11 Send a short message : TWEET TO
14 Vague quantity : SOME
15 Torus-shaped food : BAGEL
16 Nation since 1948 : ISRAEL
17 Deal : COPE
21 Sci-fi classic set on an arid world : DUNE
22 Gridiron maneuver : END RUN
23 GPS datum : RTE
27 Hush money payer : BRIBER
30 Cratchit kid : TIM
31 Salon supply : GEL
34 Large word on a mall sign : SALE
35 Involve : ENTAIL
36 Compound with five carbon atoms : PENTANE
37 Parking in back : REAR LOT
38 Like a sleeping baby : ANGELIC
40 “Notorious” court initials : RBG
41 Franklin’s wife : ELEANOR
42 Financial planning target : NEST EGG
43 Teen gossip fodder : DATES
45 It’s inevitable : FATE
46 Without a key : ATONAL
49 Very, in Vienna : SEHR
51 Erie or Huron, but not Superior : TRIBE
53 Ritual heap : PYRE
56 2008 bailout co. : AIG
57 Ames sch. : ISU
58 House fig. : REP