LA Times Crossword 17 Jan 23, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Animal Style

Themed answers all relate to STYLE, and each starts with an ANIMAL:

  • 51A Option on In-N-Out Burger’s not-so-secret menu, or the fashion sense that includes the answers to the starred clues? : ANIMAL STYLE
  • 3D *Short stiletto : KITTEN HEEL
  • 6D *Updo in a scrunchie, maybe : PONYTAIL
  • 9D *Shirt with a snug collar : TURTLENECK

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

Bill’s time: 7m 45s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • SALUD (salut!)
  • KEHINDE (Kehinte)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Some cast-iron cookware : WOKS

“Wok” is a Cantonese word, and is the name for the frying pan now used in many Asian cuisines.

5 Letters on a foundation? : SPF

In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say just stay out of the sun …

8 Singer Redding : OTIS

Otis Redding is often referred to as the “King of Soul”, and what a voice he had. Like so many of the greats in the world of popular music it seems, Redding was killed in a plane crash, in 1967 when he was just 26 years old. Just three days earlier he had recorded what was to be his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”.

12 Reebok rival : AVIA

The Avia brand name for athletic shoes was chosen as “avia” is the Latin word for “to fly”, and suggests the concept of aviation. Avia was founded in Oregon in 1979.

16 Oval Office override : VETO

The verb “veto” comes directly from Latin and means “I forbid”. The term was used by tribunes of ancient Rome to indicate that they opposed measures passed by the Senate.

Although there have been several “oval” offices used by US presidents in the White House, the current Oval Office was designed and constructed at the bequest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The room has four doors. One door opens onto the Rose Garden; a second door leads to a small study and dining room; a third opens onto the main corridor running through the West Wing; the fourth door opens to the office of the president’s secretary.

17 Trivial : MINOR

Trivia are things of little consequence. “Trivia” is the plural of the Latin word “trivium” which means “a place where three roads meet”. Now that’s what I call a trivial fact …

19 Doc with an otoscope : ENT

An ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) uses an otoscope to look into the interior of one’s ears.

22 “More info soon” : TBD

To be determined (TBD)

26 Angels’ auras : HALOS

The Greek word “halos” is the name given to the ring of light around the sun or moon, which gives us our word “halo” that is used for a radiant light depicted above the head of a saintly person.

28 With crisp resolution : IN HD

High-definition (HD)

29 Currency with loonies and toonies, briefly : CAD

Canadian dollar (CAD)

The common loon (also “great northern diver”) is the provincial bird of Ontario, and the state bird of Minnesota. The loon once appeared on Canadian $20 bills and also appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, giving the coin the nickname “the loonie”.

“Toonie” is the familiar name for a two-dollar coin in Canada. The toonie was introduced in 1996, and gets its familiar name from the one-dollar coin known as a “loonie”.

30 Kingston with a recurring role on “Doctor Who” : ALEX

I know actress Alex Kingston best from playing River Song, the future companion to the title character in the iconic BBC sci-fi series “Doctor Who”. For many years, her partner and eventual husband was fellow English actor Ralph Fiennes, whom she met while they both were studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.

31 Textspeak qualifier : IMHO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

34 “You only live __” : ONCE

You only live once (YOLO)

37 Prefix meaning “primitive” : PALEO-

The prefix “paleo-” means “prehistoric, primitive”. It comes from the Greek word “palaios” which means “old, ancient”. The prefix “neo-” would be the opposite, meaning “new, recent”.

39 Causing goose bumps, maybe : FREAKY

The terms “goose bumps” and “goose flesh” come from the fact that skin which is cold can look like the flesh of a plucked goose.

43 French couture monogram : YSL

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) was an Algerian-born French fashion designer. Saint Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from hospital, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

46 Noodle soup garnished with basil and lime : PHO

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food.

47 Hawaii’s Mauna __ : KEA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

49 Overnight __: breakfast dish : OATS

“Muesli” is a Swiss-German term describing a breakfast serving of rolled oats, nuts, fruit and milk. The dish can be soaked overnight in milk before serving (“overnight oats”). “Muesli” is a diminutive of the German word “Mues” meaning “puree”. Delicious …

51 Option on In-N-Out Burger’s not-so-secret menu, or the fashion sense that includes the answers to the starred clues? : ANIMAL STYLE

Apparently, some fast-food restaurants maintain a “secret” menu of unadvertised selections that customers hear about on the grapevine.

In-N-Out Burger is a fast food chain that’s very popular out here on the left coast. Unusually for a fast food business, In-N-Out Burger has no franchises and is privately owned. The company also prides itself on paying all employees above minimum wage. Also, if you check the packaging of the food and drink items, you’ll find a bible verse discreetly printed on the bottom of cups and wrappers, reflecting the Christian beliefs held by the company ownership. In-N-Out Burger was founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, and is now owned by Lynsi Snyder, the couple’s only grandchild.

60 Spanish toast : SALUD

“Salud” is Spanish for “health”, and is used as a toast. Salud!

61 Prefix with Pen : EPI-

EpiPen is a brand of epinephrine auto-injector. An EpiPen delivers a measured dose of epinephrine, which is a common treatment for an extreme allergic reaction.

63 Group of friends : POSSE

Our word “posse” comes from an Anglo-Latin term from the early 15th century “posse comitatus” meaning “the force of the county”

64 Place that may be kept quiet? : SET

Quiet on the set!

Down

3 *Short stiletto : KITTEN HEEL

Kitten heels are short stiletto heels. As well as being shorter, the heel curves in slightly from the back of the shoe. They were introduced in the late 1950s, and popularized by the stylish actress Audrey Hepburn.

5 Condiment also known as “rooster sauce” : SRIRACHA

Sriracha hot chili sauce is named for the coastal city of Si Racha in eastern Thailand, where the recipe likely originated. Here in North America, we are most familiar with the Sriracha sold in a red bottle with a green that is made by Huy Fong Foods in the city of Irwindale, California. The manufacturer was founded by Vietnamese refugee David Tran, who escaped from Vietnam in 1978 on a Taiwanese freighter called the Huey Fong, after which he named his new company.

6 *Updo in a scrunchie, maybe : PONYTAIL

When Rommy Wevson patented the Scrunchie hair tie in 1987, she called it a “Scunci”, after her pet poodle.

9 *Shirt with a snug collar : TURTLENECK

The garment that we know as a “turtleneck” here in North America, is called a “polo neck” or “roll-neck” on the other side of the Atlantic, and a “skivvy” in Australia and New Zealand.

13 Hummer EV automaker : GMC

GMC is a division of General Motors (GM) that was established in 1901 and started out as “GMC Truck”.

14 Hosp. scan : MRI

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.

21 Tea, in Mandarin : CHA

Mandarin Chinese is a group of dialects that are spoken across northern and southwestern China. If Mandarin is considered as one language, then it has more native speakers than any other language on the planet.

24 Valerie Harper sitcom of the 1970s : RHODA

The seventies sitcom “Rhoda” was a spinoff of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” that starred Valerie Harper. The eighth episode of the show was an hour-long special in which Rhoda married her fiance Joe (played by David Groh). At the time of airing it was the second-most watched television episode in history, second only to the 1953 birth of Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy”.

Valerie Harper was best known for playing Rhoda Morgenstern on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and on her own spin-off sitcom “Rhoda”. Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009, and in 2013 was given just months to live. Despite the prognosis, and her age of 74 years, she decided to appear in the 17th season of “Dancing with the Stars”. Harper eventually passed away in 2019.

27 Waikiki welcome : ALOHA

Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu that is home to the famous Waikiki Beach. The name “Waikiki” means “spouting fresh water” in Hawaiian.

35 Idina’s “Frozen” role : ELSA

Actress and singer Idina Menzel came to public attention when she was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Rent”. She is known on the small screen for playing Shelby Corcoran on the musical TV show “Glee”. On the big screen, her most noted performance was as the voice actor behind Queen Elsa in the Disney hit “Frozen”. It is Menzel who sings the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” in “Frozen”.

40 “President Barack Obama” portraitist __ Wiley : KEHINDE

Kehinde Wiley is a portrait painter based in New York City. Perhaps most famously, he painted a portrait of President Barack Obama in 2018 for the National Portrait Gallery. In the painting, the former president is seated on a chair that appears to float among green foliage.

42 Exercise discipline in a very warm studio : HOT YOGA

Hot yoga is performed under relatively hot and humid conditions. The actual temperature and humidity levels are often chosen to resemble those found in India, where yoga originated.

45 Great Plains people : OSAGES

The Osage Nation originated in the Ohio River valley in what we now call Kentucky. The name “Osage” was first used by French traders for the people who called themselves “Ni-U-Ko’n-Ska”, meaning “Children of the Middle Water”.

The Great Plains lie between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains in North America. This vast grassland is known as “the Prairies” in Canada.

46 Sticky note : POST-IT

The Post-it note was invented at 3M following the accidental discovery of a low-tack, reusable adhesive. The actual intent of the development program was to produce a super-strong adhesive.

48 Scottish beef cattle : ANGUS

The full name of the cattle breed is Aberdeen Angus, which is also the name used around the world outside of North America. The breed was developed by crossbreeding cattle from the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland. The breed stands out in the US as Angus cattle don’t have horns.

53 Californie, par exemple : ETAT

In French, “Californie” (California) is an “état” (state).

54 Venomous snake : ASP

The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is also known as the asp. That said, the term “asp” can apply to several species of snake, including the Egyptian cobra. Legend has it that Cleopatra committed suicide by enticing an asp to bite her. If that’s true, then that asp was probably an Egyptian cobra.

55 Thai neighbor : LAO

The present-day nation of Laos can trace its roots back to the historic Lao kingdom of Lan Xang that existed from 1354 to 1707. The full name of the kingdom was “Lan Xang Hom Khao”, which translates as “The Land of a Million Elephants and the White Parasol”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Some cast-iron cookware : WOKS
5 Letters on a foundation? : SPF
8 Singer Redding : OTIS
12 Reebok rival : AVIA
13 Husband-to-be : GROOM
15 “That hurt!” : OUCH!
16 Oval Office override : VETO
17 Trivial : MINOR
18 On the house : FREE
19 Doc with an otoscope : ENT
20 Component of some paint and nails : ACRYLIC
22 “More info soon” : TBD
23 Severe : STERN
25 Had a bite : ATE
26 Angels’ auras : HALOS
28 With crisp resolution : IN HD
29 Currency with loonies and toonies, briefly : CAD
30 Kingston with a recurring role on “Doctor Who” : ALEX
31 Textspeak qualifier : IMHO
32 Leveling strips : SHIMS
34 “You only live __” : ONCE
36 Nourish : FEED
37 Prefix meaning “primitive” : PALEO-
38 Recover : HEAL
39 Causing goose bumps, maybe : FREAKY
41 Clobbers : WHACKS
43 French couture monogram : YSL
44 Green prefix : ECO-
46 Noodle soup garnished with basil and lime : PHO
47 Hawaii’s Mauna __ : KEA
48 Revelatory cries : AHAS
49 Overnight __: breakfast dish : OATS
51 Option on In-N-Out Burger’s not-so-secret menu, or the fashion sense that includes the answers to the starred clues? : ANIMAL STYLE
54 Arrange in a row : ALIGN
56 Obtained : GOT
57 “Yer __ here!” : OUTTA
60 Spanish toast : SALUD
61 Prefix with Pen : EPI-
62 Unit of salt or sand : GRAIN
63 Group of friends : POSSE
64 Place that may be kept quiet? : SET
65 Suitably : APTLY

Down

1 Surfer’s need : WAVES
2 Kitchen counters? : OVEN TIMERS
3 *Short stiletto : KITTEN HEEL
4 “Saint,” in Portuguese place names : SAO
5 Condiment also known as “rooster sauce” : SRIRACHA
6 *Updo in a scrunchie, maybe : PONYTAIL
7 “I had no idea!” : FOOLED ME!
8 “That hurt!” : OOF!
9 *Shirt with a snug collar : TURTLENECK
10 Chilled dessert : ICEBOX CAKE
11 Storage structures : SHEDS
13 Hummer EV automaker : GMC
14 Hosp. scan : MRI
20 “Your point being?” : AND?
21 Tea, in Mandarin : CHA
24 Valerie Harper sitcom of the 1970s : RHODA
27 Waikiki welcome : ALOHA
31 Far from certain : IFFY
32 Hidden video gadget : SPYCAM
33 “Your point being?” : SO WHAT?
35 Idina’s “Frozen” role : ELSA
40 “President Barack Obama” portraitist __ Wiley : KEHINDE
42 Exercise discipline in a very warm studio : HOT YOGA
45 Great Plains people : OSAGES
46 Sticky note : POST-IT
48 Scottish beef cattle : ANGUS
50 Drink noisily : SLURP
51 Isn’t well : AILS
52 Easy stride : LOPE
53 Californie, par exemple : ETAT
54 Venomous snake : ASP
55 Thai neighbor : LAO
58 “Don’t knock it __ you try it” : ‘TIL
59 “__ minute now” : ANY