LAXCrossword.com

Advertisement

Constructed by: Craig Stowe

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: It’s Imperative!

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as IMPERATIVES, perhaps uttered by a demanding conductor:

• 54A “You must!,” or how a demanding conductor would interpret 20-, 26-, and 45-Across : IT’S IMPERATIVE!

• 20A “Second oboe, play the right notes this time!,” e.g. : WIND DIRECTION
• 26A “Sing your solo correctly for once!,” e.g. : VOICE COMMAND
• 45A “Perform the music as written! No sharps or flats!,” e.g. : NATURAL ORDER

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

Bill’s time: 7m 49s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A “__ Secretary”: Téa Leoni drama : MADAM

“Madam Secretary” is a TV show that first aired from 2014 to 2019. It is about an ex-CIA analyst who is appointed as US Secretary of State. Téa Leoni plays the title role, ably supported by a favorite actress of mine, Bebe Neuwirth. I like this show …

Téa Leoni is an American actress. One of Leoni’s early parts was in the great film “A League of Their Own” (a minor role: Racine at first base). She also played the fiancée of Sam Malone from “Cheers” on the spin-off sitcom “Frasier”. A leading role on the big screen was opposite Adam Sandler in “Spanglish”. My favorite of her more prominent movie roles was as Jane in “Fun with Dick and Jane”. Leoni started playing the title role in the drama series “Madam Secretary” in 2014, and that’s a show I quite enjoy …

14A Horace composition : EPODE

An epode is a lyric poem made up of couplets in which the first line is long, and the second line much shorter. The form was invented by the Greek poet Archilochus, and was most famously used by the Roman poet Horace.

15A “Houdini” singer Dua : LIPA

“Houdini” is a 2023 song co-written and recorded by Dua Lipa. It was the lead single from her 2024 studio album “Radical Optimism”.

16A 2017 Tony winner “Come From __” : AWAY

“Come from Away” is a 2013 musical that is based on the true story of what happened when 38 international flights were ordered to land on the island of Newfoundland following the 9/11 attacks in the US. After the planes landed at Gander airport, the small town of Gander had to cope with almost 7,000 stranded passengers, a number comparable with the town’s population.

20A “Second oboe, play the right notes this time!,” e.g. : WIND DIRECTION

Woodwind instruments are a subcategory of wind instruments that were traditionally made of wood, although some are now made from metal. There are two main classes of woodwind: flutes and reed instruments. Flutes produce sound by blowing air across the edge of a hole in a cylindrical tube. Reed instruments produce sounds by blowing into a mouthpiece, which then directs the air over a reed or reeds, causing them to vibrate.

24A Ashram figure : MONK

“Ashram” is a term used in the Hindu tradition to describe a place of spiritual retreat, one that is typically located in a remote location conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation.

31A “Gnossiennes” composer : SATIE

The “Gnossiennes” is a set of seven piano pieces written by French composer Erik Satie.

35A Online marketing strategy, for short : SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO)

36A Count in the cereal aisle : CHOCULA

General Mills introduced us to a whole series of monster-themed breakfast cereals, starting in 1971 with Count Chocula and Franken Berry. Then came Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy.

39A “Girl With a Pearl Earring” painter : VERMEER

Johannes (also “Jan”) Vermeer was born in the city of Delft in 1632, and died there some 43 years later. The name “Vermeer” is a contraction of “van der meer”, which translates as “from the sea/lake”. I just love Vermeer’s paintings, and his wonderful use of light. A great example of such a work is his “Girl with a Pearl Earring”. If you haven’t seen it, I thoroughly recommend the 2003 movie “Girl with a Pearl Earring” starring Scarlett Johansson as the girl in the painting, and Colin Firth as Vermeer. The movie is based on a novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier, so it’s all just a great story as opposed to a documentary. The way the movie is shot really reflects the qualities of a Vermeer work of art.

41A __ Lingus : AER

Aer Lingus is my favorite airline! Well, the service isn’t that great, but when I get on board an Aer Lingus plane I feel like I am back in Ireland. Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, with “Aer Lingus” being a phonetic spelling of the Irish “aer-loingeas” meaning “air fleet”. These days Aer Lingus can only lay claim to the title of Ireland’s oldest airline as it is no longer the biggest. That honor goes to the controversial budget airline Ryanair.

44A Like a dive bar : SEEDY

We use the word “seedy” to mean “shabby”. The usage probably arose from the appearance of a flowering plant that has gone to seed.

We’ve been using the word “dive” in American English for a run-down bar since the latter half of the 19th century. The term comes from the fact that disreputable taverns were usually located in basements, so one had to figuratively dive into them. I’m a big fan …

51A Check out : VET

The verb “to vet” comes from the term “veterinarian”. The idea is that to vet something is to subject it to careful examination, like a veterinarian checking out an animal.

62A The America’s Cup, for one : EWER

The America’s Cup is a trophy that has been awarded for yacht racing since 1851. It was first presented to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight in England that was won by a schooner called “America”. The trophy was eventually renamed to “The America’s Cup” in honor of that first race winner.

65A Dumpster fire : MESS

“Dumpster fire” is an informal term that was coined in the early 2000s to describe a catastrophically bad situation. The phrase uses the image of the fire that can start in large trash bins.

“Dumpster” is one of those words that we use generically, even though it is actually a brand name. The original “Dumpster” was patented by the Dempster Brothers of Knoxville, Tennessee. “Dumpster” is derived from “dump” and “Dempster”.

66A Mary __ Lincoln : TODD

Mary Todd moved in the best of the social circles in Springfield, Illinois and there met the successful lawyer, Abraham Lincoln. The path to their marriage wasn’t exactly smooth, as the engagement was broken once but reinstated, with the couple eventually marrying in 1842.

Down

2D National Scrabble Day month : APRIL

The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, and is the invention of an architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts was born on April 13th, and we now celebrate National Scrabble Day on April 13th each year in his honor.

4D Med. condition treated with Ritalin : ADHD

Ritalin is a trade name for the drug methylphenidate that is used for treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy. Methylphenidate has a similar structure and similar properties to the drug cocaine, although it is less potent.

5D Medieval fair quaff : MEAD

Mead is a lovely drink that’s made from fermented honey and water.

6D Healing character class in D&D : CLERIC

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, DnD) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

8D Gp. founded in Baghdad : OPEC

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in 1960 at a conference held in Baghdad, Iraq that was attended by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Nine more countries joined the alliance soon after, and OPEC set up headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and then Vienna, Austria in 1965. The basic aim of OPEC was to wrest control of oil prices from the oil companies and put it in the hands of the sovereign states that own the natural resource.

13D Cornea locale : EYE

The cornea is the transparent part of the eye in the front, and the part that covers the iris and the pupil. Even though the cornea is not part of the eye’s lens, it acts as a lens. In fact, the cornea does most of the work focusing light coming in through the eye. It is, in effect, a fixed-focus lens passing on light to the variable-focus lens that is inside the eye.

18D Polynesian carving : TIKI

A tiki is a large carving of wood or stone resembling a human form that is found in Polynesian cultures. The carvings often mark out boundaries surrounding sites that are sacred to the locals.

26D The Old __: London venue : VIC

The Old Vic is a very famous theater (or should I say “theatre”?) in London. It was previously known as the Royal Coburg Theatre and then the Royal Victorian Theatre (giving it the current name “The Old Vic”). The theater owes a lot of its fame and standing to the fact that it housed the National Theatre of Great Britain after it was founded in 1963 by Sir Laurence Olivier. Today the National Theatre has new, modern premises, but the Old Vic Theatre Company still garners a lot of attention.

27D Bodies of work : OEUVRES

The sum of an artist’s work in their lifetime is known as their “oeuvre”.

28D CLE player : CAV

The Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1970.

30D Flat-bottomed fishing boat : DORY

A dory is a small boat that’s around 20 feet long with a shallow draft, a flat bottom and a sharp bow. Dories are commonly used for fishing.

33D Giant Galápagos natives : TORTOISES

Giant tortoises are among the largest living reptiles on Earth. Found primarily on isolated islands, such as the Galapagos Islands, these gentle creatures can weigh hundreds of pounds and live for over a century. Their slow metabolism and herbivorous diet contribute to their long lifespans.

40D Large body of eau : MER

In French, “eau” (water) might be found in the “mer” (sea).

48D “How To __ Your Diary”: interactive edition in a YA series : DORK

The “Dork Diaries” series of children books, written by Rachel Renée Russell, follows the daily life of teenager Nikki Maxwell as she navigates middle school. Each book is written in diary format, with entries including doodles, and cartoons.

51D Bygone Dodge two-seater : VIPER

The Dodge Viper is an American sports car with a V10 engine. The Viper was introduced in 1991, and finally discontinued in 2017.

56D __ reflex: infant’s instinctive protective response : MORO

The Moro reflex is a primitive survival mechanism in newborns that mimics the sensation of falling, causing an infant to instinctively spread their arms and then pull them back as if to grab hold of something. This “startle reflex” was first described in 1918, and is named for pediatrician Ernst Moro.

58D Online discount marketplace : TEMU

Temu is an online marketplace founded in 2022. The company’s business model depends on vendors in China being able to ship directly to customers, without the cost of local distribution in the customer’s own country, hence lowering costs (and presumably prices).