LA Times Crossword 17 Jun 22, Friday

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Constructed by: Amie Walker
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Leam or Limmer?

Themed answers are common phrases starting with “L”, but with that “L” changed to “GL”. Also, each starts with a word meaning GLEAM or GLIMMER. Clever …

  • 18A Protection from bright flashes of light? : GLINT SCREEN
  • 26A Sparkly insects? : GLITTER BUGS
  • 44A Sign on a sauna door? : GLISTEN HERE
  • 57A Entry on a dating site for fireflies? : GLOW PROFILE

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

Bill’s time: 8m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “The Magic School Bus” airer : PBS

“The Magic School Bus” is a children’s cartoon show that originally aired on PBS in the nineties. The show was based on a series of books of the same name by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen.

10 Dropbox files, informally : DOCS

Dropbox is a big name in the world of cloud data storage.

14 Clickable link : URL

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a uniform resource locator (URL).

16 “Ocean to Ocean” singer Tori : AMOS

“Ocean to Ocean” is a 2021 studio album written and recorded by Tori Amos. She actually recorded all of the tracks while she was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was at her home in Cornwall in the southeast of England, and so could only provide vocals and piano accompaniment herself. Instrument tracks other than the piano were added separately, at a recording studio without Amos present.

17 Issa of “The Lovebirds” : RAE

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

“The Lovebirds” is a 2020 romantic comedy movie starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple on the run after witnessing a murder. The film’s release schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix stepped in and bought it for online release. As a result, “The Lovebirds” was the top-streamed title on Netflix on the weekend it became available.

20 Caustic solution : LYE

What we call “lye” is usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH), although historically the term “lye” was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

21 Philanthropist Melinda : GATES

Melinda French met her future husband Bill Gates at a trade fair in New York in 1987. The couple married in 1994, and divorced in 2021. They launched the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, which in 2020 became the second largest charitable foundation in the world (after Denmark’s Novo Nordisk Foundation).

23 Amanda Gorman, for one : POET

Amanda Gorman is a poet and activist who, in 2017, was the first person named as the National Youth Poet Laureate. Famously, Gorman recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of President Biden in 2021.

When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.

35 Actress Skye : IONE

Ione Skye is an American actress born in London, England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything…”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.

37 “Bus Stop” playwright : INGE

During his career, dramatist William Inge was known as the “Playwright of the Midwest”, as many of his works were set in the American heartland and explored small town life. When Inge was 60 years old, he committed suicide by poisoning himself with carbon monoxide. He was buried in his hometown of Independence, Kansas. Inge’s grave is marked with a headstone that reads simply “Playwright”.

“Bus Stop” is a marvelous play written by William Inge in 1955. The famous 1956 movie of the same name, starring Marilyn Monroe, is only very loosely based on the play.

43 Spam holder : TIN

Spam is a precooked meat product that is sold in cans. It was introduced by Hormel Foods in 1937. The main meat ingredients are pork shoulder meat and ham. The name “Spam” was chosen as the result of a competition at Hormel, with the winner earning himself a hundred dollars. According to the company, the derivation of the name “Spam” is a secret known by only a few former executives, but the speculation is that it stands for “spiced ham” or “shoulders of pork and ham”. Spam is particularly popular in Hawaii, so popular that it is sometimes referred to as “the Hawaiian steak”.

44 Sign on a sauna door? : GLISTEN HERE

As my Finnish-American wife will tell you, “sauna” is a Finnish word, and is pronounced more correctly as “sow-nah” (with “sow” as in the female pig).

46 Droid : BOT

A bot is a computer program designed to imitate human behavior. It might crawl around the Web doing searches for example, or it might participate in discussions in chat rooms by giving pre-programmed responses. It might also act as a competitor in a computer game.

“Droid” is short for “android” and is used to describe a robot that resembles a human. The Latin word “androides” was used in English in the 18th century to mean “like a man”. Science fiction writers introduced us to “android” in the early 1950s.

47 Observe Ramadan : FAST

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.

48 Just not done : TABOO

The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

57 Entry on a dating site for fireflies? : GLOW PROFILE

Some living organisms are able to produce light, a phenomenon known as “bioluminescence”. A famous example on land is the firefly, with its glowing tail. There are many marine animals, such as jellyfish, that emit light. The frequently observed bioluminescence on the surface of the sea is usually caused by plankton. This phenomenon may be referred to as “sea fire”.

63 Chow : FOOD

“Chow” is a slang term for “food” that originated in California in the mid-1800s. “Chow” comes from the Chinese pidgin English “chow-chow” meaning “food”.

Down

1 Pixar short about a ball of yarn : PURL

“Purl” is an animated short film released by Pixar in 2018. The movie has a very powerful message, as the title character is a humanoid ball of yarn who is ignored by her fellow workers in a male-dominated company.

4 Denver team : NUGGETS

The Denver Nuggets basketball team was a founding member of the American Basketball Association in 1967, at which time they were known as the Denver Rockets. The team name was changed in 1974 as the franchise planned its transition to the NBA. The name change was needed as the NBA already had the Houston Rockets. As is tradition, the new name was chosen in a fan contest.

6 Judicial order : WRIT

A writ is an order issued by some formal body (these days, usually a court) with the order being in “written” form. Warrants and subpoenas are examples of writs.

7 “Enough” number of women justices on the Supreme Court, per Ruth Bader Ginsburg : NINE

In 2015, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg spoke at Georgetown in Washington, D.C. One of the things she had to say was:

People ask me sometimes, when — when do you think [it] will it be enough? When will there be enough women on the court? And my answer is when there are nine.

9 “Rushmore” director Anderson : WES

“Rushmore” is a 1998 comedy-drama film co-written by Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson, with the later also directing. Lead roles are played by Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams and Bill Murray.

13 IRS IDs : SSNS

Identity document (ID)

The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation, although given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an identity number to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income, so many children under 14 had no number assigned. For some years the IRS had a concern that a lot of people were claiming children on their tax returns who did not actually exist. So starting in 1986, the IRS made it a requirement to get an SSN for any dependents over the age of 5. Sure enough, seven million dependents “disappeared” in 1987. Today, a SSN is required for a child of any age in order to receive a tax exemption.

19 NFL analyst Collinsworth : CRIS

Cris Collinsworth is a sportscaster for several broadcasting organizations. Collinsworth played as a wide receiver in the NFL for eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

24 Critter that eats while floating on its back : OTTER

Sea otters actually hold hands while sleeping on their backs so that they don’t drift apart. When sea otter pups are too small to lock hands, they clamber up onto their mother’s belly and nap there.

26 Take for a ride : GRIFT

Grift is money made dishonestly, especially as the result of a swindle. The term is perhaps an alteration of the word “graft”, which can have a similar meaning.

27 Island west of Maui : LANAI

Maui County is pretty unusual. It is made up of four islands: Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai and Molokai (well, most of Molokai).

28 Christina of “Yellowjackets” : RICCI

Christina Ricci is an American actress who found fame on the big screen at an early age, She played the very young Wednesday Addams in the 1991 movie version of “The Addams Family”.

“Yellowjackets” sounds like an interesting TV show. It is about four teenage girls who survive a plane crash, and have to live for nineteenth months alone in the Canadian wilderness. While this story unfolds in the show, we also track their lives as adults, 25 years later.

36 “__ of Sunset”: reality series featuring Persian Americans in Beverly Hills : SHAHS

“Shahs of Sunset” is a reality TV series that originally aired from 2012 to 2021. The show follows a group of Persian Americans living in Los Angeles. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, thousands of Iranians fled to the US. Many settled in Westwood, Los Angeles, and a community developed that is now referred to as Tehrangeles (a portmanteau of “Tehran” and “Los Angeles”).

42 Genealogy aid : DNA TEST

Genealogical DNA testing is carried out mainly to estimate a person’s ethnic heritage and to determine ancestral relationships between individuals. Estimates of ethnic heritage are made by comparing a person’s genome with the collective genomes of groups of people from various geographic regions around the world. Ancestral relationships are determined by matching individual genome to individual genome in order to determine how much DNA is shared jointly.

45 Goes paperless at tax time : E-FILES

E-file: that’s certainly what I do with my tax return …

48 “Yay, the weekend!” : TGIF!

“Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF)

49 Montreal-based shoe brand : ALDO

ALDO is a chain of shoe stores that was founded in Montreal in 1972 by Moroccan-born Canadian Aldo Bensadoun. Bensadoun is the son of a retailer of shoes in Morocco and France, and the grandchild of a cobbler. A man with shoe leather in his blood …

50 String tie : BOLO

I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.

51 “Celebrity Skin” rock band : HOLE

Hole was an alternative rock band co-founded by singer Courtney Love in Los Angeles in 1989. The group disbanded in 2002, but was reformed with a new line up of musicians by Love in 2010. The name “Hole” was retired in 2013.

56 Four-award acronym : EGOT

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards. Also known as the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam”, there are relatively few individuals who have been so honored. The first five to do so were:

  1. Richard Rodgers in 1962
  2. Helen Hayes in 1977
  3. Rita Moreno in 1977
  4. John Gielgud in 1991
  5. Audrey Hepburn in 1994 (posthumously)

58 Turntable letters : RPM

Revolutions per minute (rpm)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “The Magic School Bus” airer : PBS
4 “Let’s take it down a notch” : NOW NOW
10 Dropbox files, informally : DOCS
14 Clickable link : URL
15 Green, maybe : UNRIPE
16 “Ocean to Ocean” singer Tori : AMOS
17 Issa of “The Lovebirds” : RAE
18 Protection from bright flashes of light? : GLINT SCREEN
20 Caustic solution : LYE
21 Philanthropist Melinda : GATES
22 Tears : RENDS
23 Amanda Gorman, for one : POET
25 Support : AID
26 Sparkly insects? : GLITTER BUGS
31 Puppy noise : YIP
34 Many tweetstorms : RANTS
35 Actress Skye : IONE
36 Couch : SOFA
37 “Bus Stop” playwright : INGE
38 Takes for a ride : SCAMS
39 Shades : HUES
40 Not biased : FAIR
41 Decent plot : ACRE
42 Blot gently : DAB AT
43 Spam holder : TIN
44 Sign on a sauna door? : GLISTEN HERE
46 Droid : BOT
47 Observe Ramadan : FAST
48 Just not done : TABOO
51 Behavior pattern : HABIT
54 Short-term sculpture material : ICE
57 Entry on a dating site for fireflies? : GLOW PROFILE
59 Machine part : COG
60 Just chilling : IDLE
61 Course requirements? : PLATES
62 Commotion : ADO
63 Chow : FOOD
64 Least significant : MEREST
65 Take home : NET

Down

1 Pixar short about a ball of yarn : PURL
2 Heehaw : BRAY
3 Not setting an alarm, say : SLEEPING IN
4 Denver team : NUGGETS
5 Airing in the wee hours : ON LATE
6 Judicial order : WRIT
7 “Enough” number of women justices on the Supreme Court, per Ruth Bader Ginsburg : NINE
8 Decides : OPTS
9 “Rushmore” director Anderson : WES
10 Had the nerve : DARED
11 Itchy ears, to some : OMEN
12 Like many dorms : COED
13 IRS IDs : SSNS
19 NFL analyst Collinsworth : CRIS
24 Critter that eats while floating on its back : OTTER
25 Range listed on board games : AGES
26 Take for a ride : GRIFT
27 Island west of Maui : LANAI
28 Christina of “Yellowjackets” : RICCI
29 Wild hogs : BOARS
30 Yet to be fulfilled : UNMET
31 “Count on me!” : YOU BET I CAN!
32 Lead-in to bad news : I FEAR …
33 Fake jewelry : PASTE
36 “__ of Sunset”: reality series featuring Persian Americans in Beverly Hills : SHAHS
38 Brine ingredient : SALT
42 Genealogy aid : DNA TEST
44 Mucky stuff : GOOP
45 Goes paperless at tax time : E-FILES
46 Bent in the wind : BOWED
48 “Yay, the weekend!” : TGIF!
49 Montreal-based shoe brand : ALDO
50 String tie : BOLO
51 “Celebrity Skin” rock band : HOLE
52 Miles off : AFAR
53 Take the bait : BITE
55 System of rules : CODE
56 Four-award acronym : EGOT
58 Turntable letters : RPM