LA Times Crossword 2 Mar 21, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Computer Nerd

Themed answers each end with a brand of COMPUTER:

  • 54A One who might use one of the ends of the answers to starred clues : COMPUTER NERD
  • 19A *Tour de France participant : BICYCLE RACER (giving “Acer”)
  • 34A *Lo-cal tea brand : DIET SNAPPLE (giving “Apple”)
  • 41A *Singer who’s the namesake of the high school in “Grease” : BOBBY RYDELL (giving “Dell”)
  • Read on, or jump to …
    … a complete list of answers

    Bill’s time: 6m 03s

    Bill’s errors: 2

    • BLEATED (bleeted … embarrassing error!!!)
    • MAYIM (Meyim!!!)

    Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

    Across

    1 Arthur with Emmys : BEA

    Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

    4 DVR copying button : REC

    Digital video recorder (DVR)

    7 Futuristic TV family : JETSONS

    “The Jetsons” is an animated show from Hanna-Barbera that had its first run in 1962-1963, and then was recreated in 1985-1987. When it debuted in 1963 on ABC, “The Jetsons” was the network’s first ever color broadcast. “The Jetsons” is like a space-age version of “The Flintstones”. The four Jetson family members are George and Jane, the parents, and children Judy and Elroy. Residing with the family in Orbit City are their household robot Rosie and pet dog Astro.

    18 Fitness regimen : PILATES

    Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, Joseph Pilates. Pilates introduced his system of exercises in 1883 in Germany.

    Quite often, the terms “regime” and “regimen” seem to be used interchangeably. In contemporary usage, “regime” is applied more generally, and “regimen” more specifically. A “regimen” is a systematic approach that one might apply to something, to exercise or diet for example. The term “regime” can also be used in such contexts, but can have additional definitions, such as “government in power”. A form of government cannot be described as a “regimen”.

    19 *Tour de France participant : BICYCLE RACER (giving “Acer”)

    Back in the late 1800s, long-distance cycle races were used as promotional events, traditionally to help boost sales of newspapers. These races usually took place around tracks, but in 1902 the backers of the struggling sports publication “L’Auto” decided to stage a race that would take the competitors all around France. That first Tour de France took place in 1903, starting in Paris and passing through Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes and then back to Paris.

    Acer is a Taiwanese company that I visited a couple of times when I was in the electronics business. I was very impressed back then with the company’s dedication to quality, although I have heard that things haven’t gone so well in recent years …

    21 Manage moguls : SKI

    Moguls are the series of bumps in the surface of snow that arise naturally as a succession of skiers make turns on a slope.

    22 Rhinitis docs : ENTS

    Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)

    Rhinitis is irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose. Usually, rhinitis is a result of inhalation of allergens such as pollen and pet dander.

    23 Thumb drive port : USB

    Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and deal with electrical power through those connections.

    26 Pinochle combos : MELDS

    Pinochle is a card game that was developed from the 19th-century French game called bezique.

    30 Meticulous to a fault : ANAL

    The use of the word “anal” to mean “stiffly conventional” is an abbreviated form of “anal-retentive”, a term derived from Freudian psychology. Regardless, I’m not a big fan of the term …

    31 __ vez: Rosa’s “once” : UNA

    “Una vez” means “one time” in Spanish. “Una vez más” translates as “over again”, literally “one more time”.

    34 *Lo-cal tea brand : DIET SNAPPLE (giving “Apple”)

    Originally, “Snapple” was the name of just one type of juice made by a company called Unadulterated Food Products. The drink’s name was a contraction of “snappy apple”. The company’s name was changed to the Snapple Beverage Corporation in the early 1980s. Snapple was sold in 1994, and is now a brand name owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

    Apple Computers was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company incorporated the following year, but without Wayne. He sold his share of the company back to Jobs and Wozniak, for $800 …

    38 Islamic holy month : RAMADAN

    Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is traditionally a period of fasting. The faithful who observe Ramadan refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk everyday, a lesson in patience, humility and spirituality.

    40 Scam targets : VICTIMS

    The slang term “scam”, meaning “swindle”, may come from the British slang “scamp”.

    41 *Singer who’s the namesake of the high school in “Grease” : BOBBY RYDELL (giving “Dell”)

    Singer Bobby Rydell was a teen idol back in the sixties. His biggest hits were “Wild One” and “Volare” from 1960, and his last major chart hit was “Forget Him” from 1964. If you’ve seen the musical “Grease”, the high school setting of “Rydell High” was named for Bobby Rydell.

    “Grease” was, and still is, a very successful stage musical with a blockbuster film version released in 1978. The movie stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Travolta wasn’t the first choice for the lead role. It was first offered to Henry Winkler of “Happy Days” fame in which he played “the Fonz”. Winkler turned down the role for fear of being typecast as a leather-clad fifties “hood”.

    43 Rapper Lil __ X : NAS

    “Lil Nas X” is the stage name of rapper Montero Lamar Hill. He was born and raised just outside of Atlanta. His first hit was “Old Town Road”, which is classified as country rap.

    44 Poirot’s pals : AMIS

    Hercule Poirot is one of Agatha Christie’s most beloved characters. He is a wonderful Belgian private detective who plies his trade from his base in London. Poirot’s most famous case is the “Murder on the Orient Express”. First appearing in 1920’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”, Poirot finally succumbs to a heart condition in the 1975 book “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case”. Famously, Poirot is fond of using his “little grey cells”.

    48 Pedestal or plinth : BASE

    A plinth is a block on which something is placed, especially a column. The Greek word “plinthos” means “squared stone”.

    59 SeaWorld tanks : AQUARIA

    “Aquarium” is a Latin word meaning “pertaining to water”, although in Latin the word only existed as a noun with the meaning “drinking place for cattle”. Before the use of the noun “aquarium” (plural “aquaria”) in the context of fish, a tank was sometimes referred to as a marine vivarium.

    SeaWorld was started in San Diego in 1964. The original plan was to build an underwater restaurant with a marine life show. Eventually the founders dropped the idea of the eating establishment and just went with a theme park. SeaWorld has been mired in controversy since the 2013 release of the documentary “Blackfish”, which tells of the involvement of a particular orca (killer whale) in the death of two SeaWorld employees and one SeaWorld visitor.

    62 Collectibles from afar : EXOTICA

    The word “exotic” means “belonging to another country”, and is derived from the Greek “exo-” meaning “outside”. Exotica are things that are excitingly strange, often from foreign parts.

    64 Med. imaging procedure : CAT SCAN

    A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays. High doses of radiation can be harmful, causing damage that is cumulative over time.

    65 Bob and weave : HAIRDOS

    A bob cut is a short hairstyle in which the hair is cut straight around the head, at about the line of the jaw. Back in the 1570s, “bob” was the name given to a horse’s tail that was cut short, and about a century later it was being used to describe short hair on humans. The style became very popular with women in the early 1900s (as worn by actress Clara Bow, for example), with the fashion dying out in the thirties. The style reemerged in the sixties around the time the Beatles introduced their “mop tops”, with Vidal Sassoon leading the way in styling women’s hair in a bob cut again. Personally, I like it …

    66 Medical ins. plan : HMO

    Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Make your choice, if you can …

    67 Denver-to-Wichita dir. : ESE

    Denver, Colorado is nicknamed the “Mile-High City” because its official elevation is listed as exactly one mile. Denver City was founded in 1858 as a mining town. The name was chosen in honor of the Kansas Territorial Governor at the time, James W. Denver.

    Wichita, Kansas started out as a trading post established by Jesse Chisholm in the 1860s, a stopover on the famous Chisholm Trail. Wichita became one of the railheads on the Chisholm Trail, the end point of many cattle drives from Texas. As such, Wichita earned the nickname “Cowtown”.

    Down

    1 Lettuce variety : BIBB

    Bibb is a variety of lettuce in the cultivar known as butterhead. All butterhead varieties have loose-leafed heads and a buttery texture.

    2 “The Name Game” singer Shirley : ELLIS

    Shirley Ellis was a soul music singer famous for her novelty songs, “The Clapping Song” from 1965 and “The Name Game” from 1964. “The Name Game” is also known as “The Banana Song”, and is really a children’s singalong rhyming game. But, it was a big pop hit all the same.

    3 Smart __: wiseacre : ALECK

    Apparently, the original “smart Alec” (sometimes “Aleck”) was one Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

    The word “wiseacre” dates back to the late 1500s, when it was a botched translation of the Middle Dutch word “wijsegger” meaning “soothsayer”. Originally, there was no derogatory connotation to the word, but over time a wiseacre had become a know-it-all.

    4 Campus mil. group : ROTC

    The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for officers based in colleges all around the US. The ROTC program was established in 1862 when as a condition of receiving a land-grant to create colleges, the federal government required that military tactics be part of a new school’s curriculum.

    5 First name in stunt driving : EVEL

    Daredevil Evel Knievel contracted hepatitis C from the many blood transfusions that he needed after injuries incurred during stunts. He had to have a liver transplant as a result, but his health declined after that. Knievel eventually passed away in 2007.

    7 “Shogun” setting : JAPAN

    “Shogun” is a novel by James Clavell, and the third in his famous “Asian Saga” suite of six titles. The six books are:

    • “King Rat”
    • “Tai-Pan”
    • “Shōgun”
    • “Noble House”
    • “Whirlwind”
    • “Gai-Jin”

    11 Giants legend Mel : OTT

    At 5′ 9″, baseball legend Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old. And, according to Wikipedia, “Ott’s name frequently appears in crossword puzzles, on account of its letter combination and brevity.” True that …

    12 Bridal bio word : NEE

    “Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”. The term “née” is mainly used in English when referring to a married woman’s birth name, assuming that she has adopted her husband’s name, e.g. Michelle Obama née Robinson, and Melania Trump née Knavs.

    13 ’60s antiwar gp. : SDS

    Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an activist group in the sixties. The SDS organized the largest student strike in the history of the United States on 26 April 1968, with about a million students staying away from class that day. The “Students for a Democratic Society” name was revived in 2006 with the foundation of a new US-based student organization with left wing beliefs. Today’s SDS was founded by a pair of high school students from Greenwich Village, New York.

    15 “The Big Bang Theory” actress __ Bialik who is also a scheduled 2021 “Jeopardy!” guest host : MAYIM

    The wonderful Mayim Bialik is an actress best known for playing Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on TV’s “The Big Bang Theory”. Bialik also played the title role in the NBC sitcom “Blossom”. There’s a line in one of “The Big Bang Theory” episodes in which Sheldon talks about “the girl who played TV’s ‘Blossom’”. He notes that the “Blossom” actress has “a PhD in neuroscience or something”. And that is true, actress Mayim Bialik has indeed got a doctorate in neuroscience.

    After the sad passing of host Alex Trebek in 2020, producers announced that the game show “Jeopardy!” would be fronted by a series of interim guest hosts. The list included “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings, TV news anchor Katie Couric, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and “The Big Bang Theory” actress Mayim Bialik.

    24 Actress Hayek : SALMA

    Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, earning that nomination with her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.

    25 Grace verb : BLESS

    A grace is a short prayer recited before or after a meal.

    31 Not at all bucolic : URBAN

    The word “bucolic”, meaning “rustic, rural”, comes to us from the Greek word “boukolos” meaning “cowherd”.

    32 Judd of country : NAOMI

    The Judds were a country music singing duo made up of Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna. Naomi Judd is also the mother of actress Ashley Judd, with Ashley and Wynonna being half-sisters.

    33 Scope : AMBIT

    An ambit is an outer boundary or limit, a circumference. The term can also be used to mean the sphere or scope of influence. “Ambit” comes from the Latin “ambire” meaning “to go around”.

    35 “Frozen” reindeer : SVEN

    “Sven” is a Scandinavian name. “Sven” is derived from the Old Norse word for “young man” or “young warrior”.

    “Frozen” is a 2013 animated feature from Walt Disney Studios that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Snow Queen”. The film is all about the exploits of Princess Anna, the younger sister of Elsa, Snow Queen of Arendelle. Spoiler alert: Prince Hans of the Southern Isles seems to be a good guy for most of the film, but turns out to be a baddie in the end. And, a snowman named Olaf provides some comic relief.

    36 Guitarist Lofgren : NILS

    Musician Nils Lofgren was a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band for over 25 years. Lofgren provided vocals and played guitar, and was hired as the replacement for Steven Van Zandt.

    37 Org. in many civil rights cases : ACLU

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War. It grew out of the National Civil Liberties Bureau (CLB) that was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

    39 Short muscles? : ABS

    The abdominal muscles (abs) are more correctly referred to as the rectus abdominis muscles. They might be referred to as a “six-pack”, or even a “ten-pack”, in a person who has developed the muscles and who has low body fat. In my case, more like a keg …

    42 God, in Grenoble : DIEU

    Grenoble is a city at the foot of the French Alps. The Winter Olympic Games were held there in 1968.

    46 Tic Tacs, e.g. : MINTS

    Tic Tacs aren’t American candies (as I always mistakenly believed). Tic Tacs are made by the Italian company Ferrero, and were introduced in 1969.

    49 Essential acid : AMINO

    Amino acids are essential to life in many ways, not least of which is their use as the building blocks of proteins. Nine amino acids are considered “essential” for humans. These nine must be included in the diet as they cannot be synthesized in the body.

    52 Prepare for takeoff, as a frosty windshield : DEICE

    What we know as a windshield here in North America, is referred to as a windscreen on the other side of the Atlantic. In America, we use the term “windscreen” for a mesh or foam device placed around a microphone to limit noise caused by wind.

    53 Aquatic predators : ORCAS

    The taxonomic name for the killer whale is “Orcinus orca”. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

    54 “The Alienist” author Caleb : CARR

    One of Caleb Carr’s novels is a latter-day Sherlock Holmes mystery called “The Italian Secretary”. The novel was written as a homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (using the Holmes character with the permission of the Doyle estate). I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, so I must put this one on my reading list …

    “The Alienist” is a 1994 crime novel by Caleb Carr that is set in New York City at the end of the 19th century. The protagonist is Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist who works with Police Commissioner and future US president Theodore Roosevelt. The novel was adapted into a 10-part TV series that first aired on TNT in early 2018.

    58 Hamlet, by birth : DANE

    The full title of William Shakespeare’s play that we tend to call “Hamlet” is “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. It is the most performed of all Shakespeare’s plays and it is also his longest, the only one of his works comprising over 4,000 lines. That’s about a 4-hour sitting in a theater …

    59 Allentown : “Alas!” :: Altenburg : “__!” : ACH

    The Pennsylvania city of Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen, a loyalist who served as Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania and also mayor of Philadelphia. Allen named the new development “Northampton Town”, although the name “Allentown” was used by locals for decades. The official name change had to wait until 1838. Today, Allentown is the third-largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

    Altenburg is a city located just south of Leipzig in the west of Germany. I know it’s very trite, but I mostly know Altenburg as the place where the marvelous card game Skat developed in the early 1800s. Skat is so popular that it is recognized as Germany’s national game.

    60 Sine __ non : QUA

    “Sine qua non” is a Latin phrase that we use to mean “the essential element or condition”. The literal translation is “without which not”. One might say, for example, “a challenging crossword is the sine qua non of a good newspaper”. Well, crossword fans might say that …

    61 Ocean State sch. : URI

    The University of Rhode Island (URI) was chartered as an agricultural school back in 1888. Rhody the Ram was chosen as the school’s mascot in 1923, a nod to URI’s agricultural past. As a result, the school’s sports teams are known as the Rams. URI’s main campus is located in the village of Kingston.

    Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union, and is the second-most densely populated. (after New Jersey). Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State (and more informally “Little Rhody”), largely because about 14% of the state’s area is made up of ocean bays and inlets. Exactly how Rhode Island got its name is a little unclear. What is known is that way back in 1524, long before the Pilgrims came to New England, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano likened an island in the area to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. There were subsequent references to “Rhode Island” in English publications, before the colonists arrived.

    Complete List of Clues/Answers

    Across

    1 Arthur with Emmys : BEA
    4 DVR copying button : REC
    7 Futuristic TV family : JETSONS
    14 Reply to “Excuse me, you’re in my seat” : I’LL MOVE
    16 Modified to fit : ADAPTED
    17 Reacted to shearing : BLEATED
    18 Fitness regimen : PILATES
    19 *Tour de France participant : BICYCLE RACER (giving “Acer”)
    21 Manage moguls : SKI
    22 Rhinitis docs : ENTS
    23 Thumb drive port : USB
    26 Pinochle combos : MELDS
    30 Meticulous to a fault : ANAL
    31 __ vez: Rosa’s “once” : UNA
    34 *Lo-cal tea brand : DIET SNAPPLE (giving “Apple”)
    38 Islamic holy month : RAMADAN
    40 Scam targets : VICTIMS
    41 *Singer who’s the namesake of the high school in “Grease” : BOBBY RYDELL (giving “Dell”)
    43 Rapper Lil __ X : NAS
    44 Poirot’s pals : AMIS
    45 “To recap … ” : IN SUM …
    47 Small point : NIT
    48 Pedestal or plinth : BASE
    51 Wedding vow : I DO
    54 One who might use one of the ends of the answers to starred clues : COMPUTER NERD
    59 SeaWorld tanks : AQUARIA
    62 Collectibles from afar : EXOTICA
    63 Happening now : CURRENT
    64 Med. imaging procedure : CAT SCAN
    65 Bob and weave : HAIRDOS
    66 Medical ins. plan : HMO
    67 Denver-to-Wichita dir. : ESE

    Down

    1 Lettuce variety : BIBB
    2 “The Name Game” singer Shirley : ELLIS
    3 Smart __: wiseacre : ALECK
    4 Campus mil. group : ROTC
    5 First name in stunt driving : EVEL
    6 Formally transfer : CEDE
    7 “Shogun” setting : JAPAN
    8 Decree : EDICT
    9 Stories : TALES
    10 Practice boxing : SPAR
    11 Giants legend Mel : OTT
    12 Bridal bio word : NEE
    13 ’60s antiwar gp. : SDS
    15 “The Big Bang Theory” actress __ Bialik who is also a scheduled 2021 “Jeopardy!” guest host : MAYIM
    20 Remainder : REST
    23 Remove, as a brooch : UNPIN
    24 Actress Hayek : SALMA
    25 Grace verb : BLESS
    27 Stream swirl : EDDY
    28 “You made that up!” : LIAR!
    29 Claim to be untrue : DENY
    30 Well-suited : APT
    31 Not at all bucolic : URBAN
    32 Judd of country : NAOMI
    33 Scope : AMBIT
    35 “Frozen” reindeer : SVEN
    36 Guitarist Lofgren : NILS
    37 Org. in many civil rights cases : ACLU
    39 Short muscles? : ABS
    42 God, in Grenoble : DIEU
    46 Tic Tacs, e.g. : MINTS
    48 Yawning, perhaps : BORED
    49 Essential acid : AMINO
    50 Minor arguments : SPATS
    52 Prepare for takeoff, as a frosty windshield : DEICE
    53 Aquatic predators : ORCAS
    54 “The Alienist” author Caleb : CARR
    55 Field for this puzzle’s theme : TECH
    56 Possible cause of student nervousness : EXAM
    57 Revolution prefix : ROTO-
    58 Hamlet, by birth : DANE
    59 Allentown : “Alas!” :: Altenburg : “__!” : ACH
    60 Sine __ non : QUA
    61 Ocean State sch. : URI