Crossword by: David W. Cromer and edited by Rich Norris
Welcome to the answers to the Monday September 30 2013 LA Times crossword puzzle!
Across Answers
1. Cpls.’ superiors SGTS
Cpls is short for “corporals.” Sgts is short for “sergeants.” A sergeant is a corporal’s superior.
5. EMT’s skill CPR
An Emergency Medical Techician is very good at giving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
8. “Cultured” gem PEARL
The difference between “cultured” pearls and “natural” pearls is that the former is fake, or an imitation. The latter is the real thing. They are saltwater pearls, harvested from the sea.
Cultured pearls are also called freshwater pearls.
13. Spy novelist Ambler ERIC
Eric Ambler is a British author who also uses the name Eliot Reed as a pseudonym on the other books he wrote with another author, Charles Rodda.
14. Bread buy LOAF
16. Exhorts URGES
17. __ IRA ROTH
Roth IRA is a retirement plan in the US that isn’t taxed, but with certain conditions.
18. SeaWorld attraction ORCA
orcas, or killer whales, are also called blackfishes. Not a lot of people know this, but orcas belong to the oceanic dolphin family. They are highly sociable, and can be found on most seas and oceans.
19. Fathered SIRED
20. Exhortation to the engine room FULL SPEED AHEAD
23. Prepare, as tea STEEP
24. Down Under runner EMU
The emu is tha largest bird specie found in Australia. It is the second largest in the world, after the ostrich. An emu is also a flightless bird, and they lay eggs that have a dark, forest green color. Once these eggs hatch, it is the job of the male emu to take care of the chicks.
25. Had some wallop PACKED A PUNCH
33. Dreamer’s acronym REM
REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement. This stage is also called the paradoxical sleep. It is the stage in the sleep cycle when dreams happen.
36. House division ROOM
37. Loud cry SHOUT
38. Inventor’s starting point IDEA
40. Princess’s headgear TIARA
43. Worry FRET
44. Ford of the ’70s PINTO
The Ford Pinto was produced from 1971 to 1980. It’s a type of subcompact car which sold more than three million units in a span of ten years, outproducing its competitors at the time, Chevrolet Vega, and AMC Gremlin.
46. Festive affair GALA
48. Cause of Cleopatra’s undoing ASP
There are two versions to Cleopatra’s death: First was that she was bitten by an asp, a venomous snake, on her breast; and second, she applied a toxic ointment on herself. Whichever of these two is the truth, the former seems to be the more popular one.
49. Self-important sort STUFFED SHIRT
53. Brother in a monastery FRA
Fra is a title given to friars or monks.
54. Phi Beta __ KAPPA
Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at The College of William And Mary. It was the 1st ever collegiate Greek-letter fraternity, and the oldest academic honor society that still exists in the US. To this day, it has a total of two hundred and eighty chapters.
58. Interviewer’s booby trap LOADED QUESTION
64. Kind of jacket named for an Indian leader NEHRU
Jahawarlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, was often seen wearing sherwanis or achkans, a type of garment where the Nehru jacket was modeled after.
65. Ambiance AURA
66. Way to get out EXIT
67. Send payment REMIT
68. Give some lip to SASS
69. Shine partner RISE
If you’re a morning person, you’ll love doing this.
70. Test for purity, as gold ASSAY
71. Doris who sang “Que Sera, Sera” DAY
Did you know that Doris Day has a penchant for adopting stray animals? Yes! She has lots of pets living with her at her home in California. Pretty neat, huh?
72. Burpee product SEED
Burpee Seeds is actually a seed company founded in 1876. Back in the day, it also sold tools and farm supplies, as well as hogs and poultry. It was sold to General Foods in 1970.
Down Answers
1. Feudal workers SERFS
A serf is an agricultural laborer in Europe and Russia back in the 18th and 19th century, who was bound by the law to perform labor to the land which was owned by its owner or lord.
2. Tile installer’s need GROUT
3. Information on a book’s spine TITLE
Titles printed on the spine of a book, are more often than not made shorter than what’s originally printed on the title page.
4. Carry with effort SCHLEP
“Schlep” is a Yiddish word that means “to carry, or to drag.”
5. Hoofbeat CLOP
6. Minute skin opening PORE
7. Event at a track RACE
8. Exercises done in a prone position PUSH-UPS
9. Southernmost Great Lake ERIE
Lake Erie, named after the Erie tribe, is one of the 5 Great Lakes In North America. It is the 4th largest lake on the list, surrounded by Ontario on its northern part, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio to its south, and on its west side, Michigan. There have been people arrested crossing the border through Lake Erie from the US to Canada via boat. Since it’s a border that isn’t often patrolled, a lot more people have probably crossed undetected more than a few times.
10. Indian tourist city AGRA
Agra is where you will find the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, and the Fatehpur Sikri, all of which are decreed as UNESCO World heritage sites. But there are a lot more places in Agra which you can enjoy visiting, which is why it is considered to be a tourist city.
11. Clarinetist’s need REED
A clarinet is constructed with a single-reed mouthpiece. Reeds can be found on other musical instruments, and may all even look the same at first glance, but they actually vary in thickness.
12. Drug “dropped” in the ’60s LSD
LSD stands for Lysergic acid diethylamide. Its many side effects include synesthesia, altered thinking processes, an altered sense of time, and closed & open eye visuals. However, it has been proven not to cause brain damage, unlike other drugs out there. However, it is known to cause paranoia and anxiety on some people.
15. Lost luster FADED
21. Train in a ring SPAR
22. Dr.’s group AMA
AMA stands for American Medical Association
26. Simple bed COT
27. Colorful Japanese carp KOI
28. Some Kindle reading, briefly E-MAGS
29. TV dial letters UHF
UHF stands for Ultra High Frequency. It has a frequency range of 0.3 to 3 GigaHertz.
30. Romance writer Roberts NORA
Nora Roberts has written a total of two hundred and nine romance novels. She goes by the pseudonyms Jill March, JD Robb, and Sarah Hardesty.
Roberts wasn’t successful on her first few tries that she submitted manuscripts to publishers. She was rejected several times by Harlequin.
31. Sticks by the pool table CUES
32. Web address letters HTTP
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Web addresses ideally begin with an http://.
33. Tears RIPS
34. Work on a column, say EDIT
35. Restaurant host’s handout MENU
39. Justice Dept. enforcers ATF
Before the ATF was added to Department Of Justice, it only stood for “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.” But when it was moved from the Department of Treasury, they added the word “Explosives” at the end. So now ATF has an E, but there is no E, if you know what I mean.
41. Part of a cheerleader’s chant RAH
42. Baba of folklore ALI
Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves. One of my most favorite tales as a kid.
45. Taxi’s “I’m not working now” sign OFF DUTY
47. Ships like Noah’s ARKS
50. Prior to, in poems ERE
51. Mamas’ mates DADAS
52. Spuds TATERS
55. Impish fairy PIXIE
Pixies are mythological creatures with a Celtic origin. They are known for their childlike appearance, their talent for dancing, and mischievousness.
56. Model’s asset POISE
57. Tossed a chip in the pot ANTED
58. Popular jeans LEES
Lee was first produced in the year 1889, and started as the Lee Mercantile Company by Henry David Lee. They produced jackets and dungarees. They made their first jumpsuit in 1913. Their first overall was made in 1920. Many other products came after that.
59. Units of resistance OHMS
60. Soprano’s chance to shine ARIA
61. Campus area QUAD
Quad is short for quadrangle
62. __ Minor: constellation URSA
The Ursa Minor is Latin for “Little bear.” It is a constellation located in the northern sky. It was listed by Ptolemy back in the second century.
63. “No problem” EASY
64. Second Amendment backer: Abbr. NRA
The NRA stands for National Regulatory Authorities. It is one of the government agencies in the USA that supervises over economic and public service sectors.
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