LA Times Crossword 20 Apr 21, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Craig Stowe
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Sides of Beef

Themed answers include cuts of BEEF as hidden words, divided between the SIDES of each answer:

  • 63A Butchers’ stock literally found in this puzzle’s circles : SIDES OF BEEF
  • 17A Routinely approve : RUBBER-STAMP (sides of “RUMP”)
  • 24A Betty White’s “The Golden Girls” role : ROSE NYLUND (sides of “ROUND”)
  • 38A Assures, as an interest rate : LOCKS IN (sides of “LOIN”)
  • 52A .eps or .txt, e.g. : FILE FORMAT (sides of “FILET”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 46s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Unisex dos : SHAGS

A shag cut is a layered hairstyle. Actress Meg Ryan famously sported a shag cut for many years, as did fellow actress Farrah Fawcett.

6 It beats rock, in a game : PAPER

Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people, at least here in North America. Back in Ireland we called the game “scissors-paper-stone”, and another name encountered around the English-speaking world is “roshambo”. The game is often used as a way to choose between two options or two individuals.

14 Bat mitzvah reading : TORAH

The Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, are traditionally believed to have been written by Moses. As such, they are sometimes referred to as the Law of Moses, or Mosaic Law. Those five books are:

  • Bereshit/Genesis
  • Shemot/Exodus
  • Vayikra/Leviticus
  • Bamidbar/Numbers
  • Devarim/Deuteronomy

A Jewish girl becomes a bat mitzvah at 12 years of age, the age at which she becomes responsible for her actions. Boys become bar mitzvahs at 13. The terms translate into English as daughter and son of the commandments.

16 Concert souvenir : TEE

A souvenir is a memento, a token of remembrance. We imported the word “souvenir” from French, in which language it has the same meaning. The term comes from the Latin “subvenire” meaning “to come to mind”, or literally “to come up”.

19 Chicken-king connection : A LA

A dish prepared “à la king” (usually chicken or turkey), is prepared in a cream sauce with mushrooms, pimentos, green peppers and sherry.

24 Betty White’s “The Golden Girls” role : ROSE NYLUND (sides of “ROUND”)

“The Golden Girls” is a sitcom that originally aired in the eighties and nineties. The show features Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty as four older women who share a house in Miami.

Comic actress Betty White has been at the top of her game for decades. White started her television career with an appearance with high school classmates on a local Los Angeles show back in 1939. Her most famous TV run was co-hosting the Tournament of Roses Parade, a gig she had for nineteen years in the sixties and seventies. Given her long career, White holds a number of records in the world of entertainment. For example, she is the oldest person to host “Saturday Night Live” (at 88) and she is the oldest woman to win a Grammy (at 90).

A round steak comes from the rump of a cow, which is why it’s called a rump steak back in Britain and Ireland.

30 Nick of “Warrior” (2011) : NOLTE

Actor Nick Nolte got his big break playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, released in 1976. Prior to that, he had worked as a model. Nolte appeared in a magazine advertisement for Clairol in 1972 alongside fellow model and future actor Sigourney Weaver.

“Warrior” is a 2011 film about martial arts. I am not really into martial arts films, but Nick Nolte did get an Oscar nomination for his role in the movie.

38 Assures, as an interest rate : LOCKS IN (sides of “LOIN”)

Loin is the tissue along the top of the ribs.

43 2017 Best Animated Feature Oscar winner : COCO

“Coco” is a 2017 Pixar movie about a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who ends up in the land of the dead by accident. There, he seeks out the help of the great-great-grandfather to get back to his family in the land of the living.

46 Raw meat concern : E COLI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

50 Augur : BODE

The verb “to augur” means “to bode, serve as an omen”. The term comes from the name of religious officials in ancient Rome called augurs whose job it was to interpret signs and omens.

52 .eps or .txt, e.g. : FILE FORMAT (sides of “FILET”)

Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) is a graphics file format introduced in 1992 by Adobe. It is used primarily for vector images, rather than the more common raster images. Vector images have the advantage of being more easily resized, and so are often used for logos and other images that are commonly reproduced in different sizes.

A “text file” is one that includes only plain text, with little or no formatting, not even bold or italic type. Text files in the Windows operating system use the file extension “.txt”.

55 Turkish coin : LIRA

The currency of Turkey is the Turkish lira, which is divided into 100 kuruş. In 1927, the Turkish lira replaced the Ottoman lira, which had been in use since 1844.

59 __ God: tornado, e.g. : ACT OF

“Act of God” is a legal term describing a natural event for which no individual can be held accountable, one that is outside human control.

62 T’ai __ : CHI

More correctly called “t‘ai chi ch‘uan”, tai chi is a martial art that is mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

66 Woolen cap : TAM

A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap traditionally worn by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”) but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of the Robert Burns poem “Tam O’Shanter”.

69 Canonized Mlle. : STE

“Sainte” (ste.) is French for “saint”, when referring to a “femme” (woman).

The act of creating a saint is known as “canonization”. The term derives from the process of placing someone in the canon (or “calendar”) of saints.

70 Worldview view : TENET

A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “he holds”.

A worldview is a point of view of the world, as seen from a specific standpoint.

Down

4 Gossipy gathering : GABFEST

Our word “gossip” comes from the Old English “godsibb” meaning “godparent”. Back then, the term was used for female friends who attended a birth, and later for anyone engaging in idle talk.

5 “A Boy Named Sue” writer Silverstein : SHEL

“A Boy Named Sue” is a classic song by Shel Silverstein that was popularized by Johnny Cash. Famously, Cash recorded the song at a live concert he gave in 1969 at San Quentin State Prison.

6 Right one for the rite job? : PASTOR

A pastor is a minister or priest in some Christian traditions. “Pastor” is the Latin word for “shepherd”.

8 Golf tour letters : PGA

The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was founded in 1916 and today has its headquarters (unsurprisingly) in Florida, where so many golfers live. Back in 1916, the PGA was based in New York City.

9 National Mall tree : ELM

The National Mall is a park in downtown Washington, D.C. It is home to several museums that are part of the Smithsonian, as well as the National Gallery of Art.

11 The way things are : STATUS QUO

“Status quo” translates from Latin as “state in which”, and in English is used to mean the existing condition or state of affairs.

12 Mirren of “Trumbo” (2015) : HELEN

Helen Mirren, one of my favorite English actresses, has played three different queens on film and television. She played Queen Elizabeth II on the 2006 film “The Queen”, the title role in the TV drama “Elizabeth I”, and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of the title character in the 1994 film “The Madness of King George”. Mirren won the “Triple Crown of Acting” for playing:

  • Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen” (winning Best Actress Oscar)
  • Queen Elizabeth II in “The Audience” (winning Best Actress in a Play Tony)
  • Detective Jane Tennison in “Prime Suspect” (winning Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy)

“Trumbo” is a 2015 film that tells the story of Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Bryan Cranston plays the title role, and Hellen Mirren plays infamous gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. Central to the movie’s storyline is Trumbo’s extended appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC).

22 __ market : FLEA

Flea markets are known by various names around the world. In Australia, the term “trash and treasure market” is used. Such outdoor events are called car boot sales in Britain and Ireland, whereas indoor versions might be jumble sales or bring-and-buy sales.

25 Fans of college sports’ Bulldogs : ELIS

The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Yale University. The Yale school mascot is “Handsome Dan”, the Yale bulldog. The Bulldogs’ logo features a bulldog in front of a letter Y.

30 “This Is Us” network : NBC

“This Is Us” is a television drama that debuted in 2016. The storyline centers on three siblings and their parents. Two of the siblings are the surviving members of a triplet pregnancy. The parents decide to adopt a child born on the same day as the surviving siblings. The adopting family is white, and the adopted child is black.

31 Olímpicos goal : ORO

In Spanish, one might win “oros” (golds) at “los Juegos Olímpicos” (the Olympic Games).

35 Surfer’s link : URL

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

36 Singer DiFranco : ANI

Singer Ani DiFranco founded her record company Righteous Records in 1990 in order to gain independence from the established record industry. She had to change the name to Righteous Babe Records as there already was a Righteous Record label, one that published gospel music.

39 __ buco: veal dish : OSSO

“Osso” is the Italian word for bone, as in the name of the dish “osso buco” (bone with a hole), which features braised veal shanks.

Veal is the meat from calves, whereas beef is the meat from mature cattle. Most veal comes from male calves, as the females can be more valuable as producers of cow’s milk. Historically, veal production has been one of the most controversial practices in animal farming. Some farmers restricted the movement of veal calves by confining them in crates for the whole of their short lives in order to produce paler and more tender meat.

40 “Mermaids” co-star : CHER

“Cher” is the stage name used by singer and actress Cherilyn Sarkisian. Formerly one half of husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher, she is often referred to as the Goddess of Pop. In her acting career, Cher was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar of 1984 for her performance in “Silkwood”. She went further in 1988 and won the season’s Best Actress Oscar for playing Loretta Castorini in “Moonstruck”.

“Mermaids” is a 1990 film based on a 1986 novel of the same name by Patty Dann. The movie stars Cher as the carefree single mother of a neurotic 15-year-old played by Winona Ryder. Also, Christina Ricci makes her film debut playing the 9-year-old daughter of Cher’s character. I haven’t seen this film …

41 Mustachioed guy on “The Simpsons” : NED

Ned Flanders lives next door to Homer Simpson on TV’s “The Simpsons”. Ned is voiced by actor Harry Shearer, and has been around since the very first episode aired in 1989.

44 Longtime Hydrox rival : OREO

The Oreo cookie was introduced in 1912. The Oreo was intended to be a competitor to the very similar Hydrox cookie which had debuted four years earlier. The Oreo won the resulting battle on the grocery store shelves …

47 Cause __: megastar : CELEBRE

“Cause célèbre” is a French phrase that we imported into English to describe an issue that arouses widespread controversy. The expression translates from French as “famous case”. The term originated with a large collection of court decisions published in 1762 called “Nouvelles Causes Célèbres”. We can also use “cause célèbre” to describe a notorious person.

50 Short-legged hound : BASSET

The basset hound wouldn’t be my favorite breed of dog, to be honest. Basset hounds have a great sense of smell with an ability to track a scent that is second only to that of the bloodhound. The name “basset” comes from the French word for “rather low”, a reference to the dog’s short legs.

51 Director Preminger : OTTO

Otto Preminger was noted for directing films that pushed the envelope in terms of subject matter, at least in the fifties and sixties. Great examples would be 1955’s “The Man with the Golden Arm” that dealt with drug addiction, 1959’s “Anatomy of a Murder” that dealt with rape, and 1962’s “Advise and Consent” that dealt with homosexuality. If you’ve seen these films, you’ll have noticed that the references are somewhat indirect and disguised, in order to get past the censors.

52 They’re hard to argue with : FACTS

Well, it seems to be a little easier these days …

53 Former Apple messaging app : ICHAT

iChat was introduced in 2002, and was Apple’s “instant messaging” application that integrated with the Mac Operating System. iChat was replaced by the Messages app.

54 Reagan attorney general Ed : MEESE

Ed Meese was born in Oakland, California and spent 24 years in the office of the Treasurer of Alameda County, the county in which I used to live. After military service, Meese earned himself a law degree at UC Berkeley. Later, as chief of staff for President Reagan, he was instrumental in a famous decision to crack down on student protesters at Berkeley which resulted in one protester dying and a two-week occupation of the city by the California National Guard.

58 Website revenue : AD FEE

I do regret having to include ads on this website, but the costs of maintaining a blog like this would otherwise be prohibitive. My apologies …

61 Young newts : EFTS

Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

65 Sports radio host Patrick : DAN

Dan Patrick is a sportscaster and radio personality. He is host of “The Dan Patrick Show” on the radio and is co-host of “Football Night in America” on NBC television.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Unisex dos : SHAGS
6 It beats rock, in a game : PAPER
11 “Quiet, please!” : SHH!
14 Bat mitzvah reading : TORAH
15 Photographer’s concern : ANGLE
16 Concert souvenir : TEE
17 Routinely approve : RUBBER-STAMP (sides of “RUMP”)
19 Chicken-king connection : A LA
20 Recently : AS OF LATE
21 On the trail of : AFTER
23 “Now, where __ we?” : WERE
24 Betty White’s “The Golden Girls” role : ROSE NYLUND (sides of “ROUND”)
27 Crystal ball gazer : SEER
29 Isn’t elected : LOSES
30 Nick of “Warrior” (2011) : NOLTE
33 Hold a session : SIT
34 Shade of blue : AQUA
37 Dude : BRO
38 Assures, as an interest rate : LOCKS IN (sides of “LOIN”)
42 Coffee server : URN
43 2017 Best Animated Feature Oscar winner : COCO
45 Timid : SHY
46 Raw meat concern : E COLI
48 Came up : AROSE
50 Augur : BODE
52 .eps or .txt, e.g. : FILE FORMAT (sides of “FILET”)
55 Turkish coin : LIRA
59 __ God: tornado, e.g. : ACT OF
60 Respected : ESTEEMED
62 T’ai __ : CHI
63 Butchers’ stock literally found in this puzzle’s circles : SIDES OF BEEF
66 Woolen cap : TAM
67 Wipe out : ERASE
68 Buy and sell stock : TRADE
69 Canonized Mlle. : STE
70 Worldview view : TENET
71 Have a sneaking suspicion : SENSE

Down

1 Scarecrow stuff : STRAW
2 Word with party or guest : HOUSE-
3 Leafy recess : ARBOR
4 Gossipy gathering : GABFEST
5 “A Boy Named Sue” writer Silverstein : SHEL
6 Right one for the rite job? : PASTOR
7 Chips in a pot : ANTES
8 Golf tour letters : PGA
9 National Mall tree : ELM
10 Makes good on : REPAYS
11 The way things are : STATUS QUO
12 Mirren of “Trumbo” (2015) : HELEN
13 Caught wind (of) : HEARD
18 Like valuable coins : RARE
22 __ market : FLEA
25 Fans of college sports’ Bulldogs : ELIS
26 “Moi?” : NOT I?
28 Slim fish often smoked : EEL
30 “This Is Us” network : NBC
31 Olímpicos goal : ORO
32 Announcement before landing : LOCAL TIME
33 Feature of many seascapes : SKY
35 Surfer’s link : URL
36 Singer DiFranco : ANI
39 __ buco: veal dish : OSSO
40 “Mermaids” co-star : CHER
41 Mustachioed guy on “The Simpsons” : NED
44 Longtime Hydrox rival : OREO
47 Cause __: megastar : CELEBRE
49 Counteract : OFFSET
50 Short-legged hound : BASSET
51 Director Preminger : OTTO
52 They’re hard to argue with : FACTS
53 Former Apple messaging app : ICHAT
54 Reagan attorney general Ed : MEESE
56 “That is … ” : I MEAN …
57 Wetlands growths : REEDS
58 Website revenue : AD FEE
61 Young newts : EFTS
64 Outrage : IRE
65 Sports radio host Patrick : DAN

17 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 20 Apr 21, Tuesday”

  1. No errors… but I was a bit shocked at how many movies in this grid I’ve never heard of. WARRIOR COCO TRUMBO…

    Looks like I’ll have to go look these up in NETFLIX. during COVID , I’ve done a deeper dive into the movie genre. I’ve watched some great movies I’ve never heard of and with some real allstar actors and actresses.. most within the last 5 years. The one that springs to mind first is “Peanut Butter Falcon”. Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and Thomas Church. When did these actors have time while they were playing in bigger box office movies… so many movies and little time to watch them.

  2. Did fairly well for a Tuesday! Just took some time! 😂
    Anon Mike: take the time to see Trumbo, it’s well done and Bryan Cranston is terrific!
    Stay safe everyone! 😊

  3. 6:02, no errors.

    Got dose #2 today. Gonna see how that bodes. Wondering if I’m going to ever need that card they give me for whatever reason…

  4. Bill, Don’t apologize for your ads. I’m new to crosswords (thanks COVID) and your site really helps me learn and improve. I really appreciate your effort. I especially like when you add a personal story or feeling to your definitions.

  5. 6:17

    Guessed the theme, the theme helped, but I still resisted filling in SIDESOFBEEF, because I see RUMP, ROUND, LOIN, and FILET as “cuts of beef”. They’re part of a side.

    Nice to see Shel Silverstein.

  6. To Pam, I thought the same thing, that it would have been better
    to have cuts of beef…but we just didn’t have that choice did we?

  7. Greetings folks!!🤗

    Fun puzzle and HI BETTY WHITE!!!! 😍 I just love her.

    I got the theme quickly but then I right away filled in ROAST instead of ROUND….shows how little I know about meat cuts or about cooking in general. 🤔 Of course ROSE NYLUND came to the rescue and I finished up with no errors.

    I’ve also been watching a lot of movies this pandemic, mostly on TCM but also on Amazon and Netflix….. and I finally got around to installing Audible. Some of the readers have really annoying voices!!!! — especially when there are several readers doing roles in the same book. Didn’t expect that issue and don’t know where they get these people from.

    Justice….

    Be well~~⚾️

  8. Two things really held me up here. Sides of beef is incorrect of course, but also File Formats. “.eps” and “.txt” are file *extensions*, the related formats are EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) and TXT or text.

  9. “Sides of beef” is the correct answer to the 63A clue, “butcher’s STOCK…”. Butchers buy sides of beef, which they STOCK in their refrigerators and/or freezers, and from which they then cut rumps, rounds, loins, filets, etc. Read the clues carefully, folks.

  10. “Sides of beef” is correct for the 63A clue, “butchers’ STOCK…”. Butchers buy sides of beef, which they STOCK in their refrigerators/freezers, and from which they then cut rumps, rounds, loins, filets, etc. Read the clues carefully, folks.

  11. “Sides of beef” is correct for the 63A clue, “butchers’ STOCK…”. Butchers buy sides of beef, which they STOCK in their refrigerators/freezers, and from which they then cut rumps, rounds, loins, filets, etc. Read the clues carefully, folks.

  12. Apologies for the repeats… The “reply” option didn’t give me the countdown like it used to. “Post comment” just returned me to the page, without my comment.

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