Crossword by: Jeff Stillman and edited by Rich Norris
Welcome to the answers to the Monday September 23 2013 LA Times crossword puzzle! I think therefore I am. This is the essence of today’s theme where we have quotes from famous people all starting with the words ‘I am’. The quotes are: “I am the greatest!” from Muhammed Ali, “I am not a crook” from Richard Nixon, “I am not an animal” from The Elephant Man and “I Am Sasha Fierce” from Beyonce or maybe her alter-ego Sasah Fierce, who really knows what’s going on there.
Across Answers
11. Roulette bet ODD – Did you know that the Roulette (French for “small wheel”) is more than a century old and was invented by Blaise Pascal? (Yes, the same person who’s known all over the world for his brilliant contributions to Mathematics)
14. Lawyer’s assistant, for short PARA – Para’s, or paralegals, can also be called legal assistants or attorneys in fact—meaning to say, not necessarily, or not YET an attorney.
15. Vox __: voice of the people POPULI – Vox Populi is a Latin word which is being used in different scenarios to this day. A Television show AND a radio show has been named after this. But perhaps, it is most popular for its proverbial use, Vox Populi, Vox Dei. It roughly translates to “The Voice Of The People, The Voice Of God.”
16. Architect I.M. PEI – Ieoh Ming Pei is often called the Master of Modern Architecture. He was the one who designed the Louvre Pyramid, which serves as the Louvre Museum’s main entrance. His first project in the US (1949) is 131 Ponce de Leon Avenue, in Atlanta Georgia. It is also called as the Gulf Oil Building. It has been demolished in February 2013 but a portion of it will be rebuilt so it can blend in with its new complex.
17. Ending from Ali THE GREATEST – “I am the greatest!” is what Muhammad Ali said in his speech. He also has a lot of quotes that became famous such as, “I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. You can’t beat the greatest because I am Muhammad Ali.” He also said, “My toughest fight was with my first wife.”
19. Plumbing pipe initials PVC – PVC, one of the most widely produced plastics worldwide, stands for Polyvinyl Chloride. It is widely used in construction because it is considered more effective than iron, wood, or copper when it comes to profile applications, piping, and even upholstery. It is also being widely used in the production of clothing, and more popularly, inflatables. It’s construction is very good that it can replace the use of rubber on a lot of applications.
21. Ending from Nixon NOT A CROOK – In November 17th, 1973, Nixon gave a speech where the famous lines “I am not a crook” were taken from, in Orlando Florida, in no less at Walt Disney World. People jokingly changed the name of the place to “Tragic Kingdom”, from “Magic Kingdom” after that speech.
30. Dilbert creator Scott ADAMS – Scott Adams loved the Peanuts gang as he was growing up. He made it his inspiration when he started drawing comics at the very early age of 6. The first time he won at a drawing competition was at age 11. After high school, he tried to get in at arts school, but was rejected, so he studied law and graduated a valedictorian.
37. Superman and Batman wear them CAPES
39. Ending from the Elephant Man NOT AN ANIMAL (“I am not an animal”)
43. Car window adornments DECALS – Before there were decals, there were only bumper stickers. It all started in the 1930’s when Mr. Forest Gill, after the company he worked for went out of business, started working on the printing equipment given to him by his former employer. He worked as a screen printer all throughout WWII and in 1944, started printing bumper signs made of cardboard pieces. Because it wasn’t weather-proof he thought of something else. He used DayGlo inks on self sticking paper and the rest is history.
51. Banjo support of song KNEE – Banjo On My Knee is actually a line from the song “Oh Susanna” (1848). It has also been made into a movie in 1936.
56. Archer’s wood YEW – Yew is so hard that it has been rumored to last longer than iron.
57. Ending from Lennon and McCartney THE WALRUS – “I Am the Walrus” marks the beginning of The Beatles’ many fights which would eventually lead to their disbanding.
63. Salt, in Quebec SEL – Salt is sel in French, as pepper is poivre
64. Ending from Beyoncé SASHA FIERCE (“I Am Sasha Fierce”) – Sasha Fierce is Beyonce’s alter ego
69. Copenhagen’s __ Gardens TIVOLI – The Tivoli Gardens (1843) is the 2nd oldest amusement parks to still be thriving to this day. It is also considered to be one of the most popular theme parks in the world.
70. Hullabaloos ADOS
72. Annie, for one ORPHAN – Little Orphan Annie was a popular comic strip in its day. But what not a lot of people don’t know is that the creator, Harold Gray, got the idea from the poem penned by James Whitcomb Riley.
73. Sibilant “Hey, you!” PSST!
Down Answers
4. Pudding starch SAGO – Sago may be yummy, but it contains only little vitamins or protein. It is pure carbohydrates, with a hundred grams of it comprising of ninety four grams of carbs. Delicious but fattening.
5. King Kong, e.g. APE – There are six kinds of apes: Bonobos, Gibbons, Gorillas, Orangutans, Chimpanzees and Humans. Surprised? Yes, humans are species of the apes.
8. Bird feeder filler SUET – A suet is considered to be very beneficial to birds. Nesting birds require a lot of energy during spring time and suets are able to meet those demands. It also serves as a worthy substitute to insects, which some of these little creatures love to eat during the summer season. It also helps them during the fall, to store fat in their bodies in preparation for winter. And when winter comes, they serve as replenishers to the birds’ depleted nutrition intake.
9. Movie lioness ELSA – Elsa was raised in Kenya by the Adamsons, but lived only five years. She became world famous in the 50’s because of how she was raised, pretty much like a house pet. She had two other sisters, Lustica and Big One, which were both sent to a zoo in the Netherlands. She died of Babesia felis, a sickness that affects the cat family, and is similar to Malaria.
18. Genetic letters RNA – RNA stands for Ribonucleic acid, and can be found on all living cells. It carries instructions from the DNA to control proten synthesis.
23. Turntable no. RPM – RPM means Revolutions Per Minute. It is a unit of frequency wherein complete full rotations are counted in sixty seconds.
33. “Itsy bitsy” waterspout climber SPIDER – Spiders are arachnids, and are closely related to ticks, mites, and scorpions. *Shiver
38. Suffix with phon EME – Eme is a suffix which is often used in a linguistic aspect.
44. Grant’s opponent LEE – Lee and Grant, who were both opposing generals at the civil war, were considered to be heroes of their
time.
46. 2009 World Series MVP Hideki MATSUI – Hideki Matsui, who used to play baseball for Japan and the US, was a left-handed batter but throws using his right hand.
47. Goddess who advised Odysseus ATHENA – Athena has 2 main symbols: The owl and the olive tree. The owl means wisdom and the olive tree means peace.
50. Garam __: Indian spice mixture MASALA – Masala is a well-known spice in India, and different parts of the world. It is used in various meat dishes like chicken, shrimp, and lamb, among others.
53. Meal, in Milan PASTO – Pasto is Italian for meal
55. Mai __: cocktail TAI – Mix rum, lime juice, and Curacao liqueur altogether and you got yourself a winner.
59. “We’d appreciate your answer,” on invitations RSVP – Respondez S’il Vous Plait is french for “please respond.”
65. Half a sawbuck FIN
66. Comedian Bill, informally COS – The Bill Cosby Show is the first comedy series in the history of the United States to have an AfricanAmerican actor as the lead.
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