LA Times Crossword 4 Jul 23, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Ella Dershowitz
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Buh? Aye!

Themed answer each start with a “by” sound:

• 17A Purposely cause a delay : BUY SOME TIME
• 24A Dismissive send-off that originated in an Ice Cube film : BYE, FELICIA
• 38A Annual celebration involving a pink, purple, and blue flag : BI VISIBILITY DAY
• 48A Generally speaking : BY AND LARGE
• 60A Drink with São Paulo Strawberry and Burundi Blueberry flavors : BAI LEMONADE

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

Bill’s time: 6m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Many a maid of honor : SISTER

The members of the bride’s party in a wedding are the bridesmaids. The principal bridesmaid is the maid of honor. The principal bridesmaid might be referred to as the matron of honor if she is married.

11 “Saving Lives, Protecting People” govt. org. : CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …

14 Taco kit brand : ORTEGA

The Ortega food manufacturing company has been around for about 150 years. It was founded by Maria Concepcion Jacinta Dominguez Ortega, known affectionately as Mama Ortega within the company.

16 Small inlet : RIA

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

19 Seer’s claim : ESP

Extrasensory perception (ESP)

22 Tingling feeling caused by whispery videos: Abbr. : ASMR

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)

23 “Do-Re-Mi” critter : DEER

The famous song that starts off with “Doe, a deer …” is a show tune from the 1959 musical “The Sound of Music”, by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The correct name of the song is “Do-Re-Mi”.

24 Dismissive send-off that originated in an Ice Cube film : BYE, FELICIA

The phrase “Bye, Felicia” can be used these days to be dismissive towards someone. Using “Bye” sends the message “I’m done”, and using “Felicia”, instead of the person’s real name, renders that person as “unimportant”. The phrase originated as a line in the 1965 comedy film “Friday”.

26 401(k) kin : IRA

A 401(k) account resembles an IRA in that contributions can be made from a paycheck prior to the deduction of income taxes. A 401(k) differs from an IRA in that it is an employer-sponsored plan, with payments taken by the employer directly from an employee’s paycheck. Additionally, contributions can be fully or partially matched by an employer.

38 Annual celebration involving a pink, purple, and blue flag : BI VISIBILITY DAY

Celebrate Bisexuality Day (also “Bi Visibility Day”) is observed every year on September 23.

The pride flag representing bisexuality and the bisexual community was introduced in 1998. It comprises blue and pink stripes that overlap to create a purple stripe in the middle. The flag’s designer, Michael Page, explained that the pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only, and the blue stripe attraction to the opposite sex only. The overlapping purple stripe represents sexual attraction to both sexes.

41 Mold-to-be : SPORE

Spores are produced by many bacteria, fungi and non-flowering plants. A spore is a reproductive body encased in a protective shell that is highly resistant to damage, and resistant to heat in particular.

43 Fútbol fan’s cry : OLE!

In Spanish, a “fútbol” (football, soccer) supporter might shout “olé!” (bravo!).

44 High tea snack : SCONE

Especially in the UK, high tea is a major meal served in the late afternoon or early evening. Said meal should of course include a pot of tea!

46 Indoor rower, familiarly : ERG

An indoor rowing machine is often referred to as an ergometer (or simply “erg”). However, the term “ergometer” really applies to a device that measures the amount of work performed.

56 Tunneling insects : ANTS

Anthills are actually underground nests. The ants in the colony excavate below ground, resulting in a pile of sand or soil above ground.

57 Ballet bend : PLIE

The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent. A “demi-plié” is a similar move, but with less bending of the knees. A fondu is similar to a plié, except that only one leg remains on the ground.

58 Indian lute : SITAR

The sitar has been around since the Middle Ages. It is a stringed instrument that is played by plucking, and is used most often in Hindustani classical music. In the West we have been exposed to the instrument largely through the performances of Ravi Shankar and some music by George Harrison of the Beatles, a onetime student of Shankar.

59 Bill Nye’s subj. : SCI

That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on PBS for four years, from 1993-97.

64 Spider-Man player Garfield : ANDREW

American-born English actor Andrew Garfield really hit the big time with his performance as Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, in the 2010 drama movie “The Social Network”. He followed that with the title role in several “Spider-Man” films. He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for playing the lead in the 2016 war film “Hacksaw Ridge”.

66 Name said twice in an introduction : BOND

Ian Fleming’s spy first introduced himself with the words “Bond, James Bond” in the 1953 novel “Casino Royale”. Sean Connery first uttered the words on the silver screen in the first Bond movie, “Dr. No”.

67 Fool’s gold : PYRITE

Pyrite is a mineral also known as iron pyrite. Famously, it has an appearance very similar to gold, so has the nickname “fool’s gold”. Pyrite does find its way into some baubles, which go by the name of marcasite jewelry.

Down

3 Fashionista’s focus : STYLE

The Spanish suffix “-ista” indicates a supporter or follower. Examples would be “fashionista” (a follower of fashion) and “Sandinista” (member of a Nicaraguan political party named for revolutionary Augusto César Sandino).

4 “Fun Home” composer Jeanine : TESORI

Jeanine Tesori is a composer and arranger who is best known for her work in Broadway theater. She won Tony Awards for the Best Original Score for “Fun Home” (2015) and “Kimberly Akimbo” (2023).

5 “Grand slam” awards 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)

6 Aries animal : RAM

According to the ancient Greeks, the constellation Aries the Ram represents the mythological winged ram with the Golden Fleece. The Greeks “hijacked” the constellation though, because it also represented a ram in late Babylonian times, long before the Golden Fleece came along.

7 First name in the perfume aisle : ESTEE

Estée Lauder was a very successful businesswoman, and someone with a great reputation as a salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

8 Many an “Ocean’s Eleven” character : THIEF

“Ocean’s 11” is a great film from 1960, starring Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean. The original storyline is updated for the excellent 2001 remake, with George Clooney playing the lead. In the 1960 movie, the love interest is a character called Beatrice Ocean, played by Angie Dickinson. In the 2001 version, the love interest gets a new name, Tess Ocean, and is played by Julia Roberts. The 2001 remake (titled “Ocean’s Eleven”, note the spelling) spawned two sequels: “Ocean’s Twelve” in 2004 and “Ocean’s Thirteen” in 2007.

11 Orchestral climax : CRESCENDO

Crescendo (cresc.) is an Italian word meaning “gradually becoming louder”, and is often seen on a musical score. The term with the opposite meaning is “diminuendo” (dim.).

12 “Please pack your knives and go,” for one : DISMISSAL

“Please pack your knives and go” is a line of dismissal used in every episode of the reality TV competition “Top Chef”.

13 “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank : CAPRA

The Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” was released in 1946, and is a Frank Capra movie starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. The film’s screenplay was adapted from a short story called “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. Remember the famous swimming pool scene? That was shot in Beverly High School gym, and the pool is still in use today.

18 Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY

Edy’s is a brand of premium ice cream that was founded in 1928 in Oakland, California. The company’s two signature brands, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream and Edy’s Grand Ice Cream, are named after its founders, William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

22 Dance company founder Alvin : AILEY

Alvin Ailey was a dancer who formed his own troupe in New York in 1958, naming it “the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater”. The most famous work that Ailey choreographed was called “Revelations”. President Barack Obama awarded Ailey the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously, in 2014.

24 Indonesian island in the Coral Triangle : BALI

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is known as the “Island of the Gods” due to its rich and unique culture, which is steeped in religious and spiritual beliefs.

The geographic term “Coral Triangle” refers to a large marine area in the western Pacific Ocean. Included in the region are the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands.

33 Delivery room docs : OBS

Obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN)

35 Yale alum : ELI

Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1701, making it the third-oldest university in the US. Originally called the Collegiate School, it was renamed to Yale University in honor of retired merchant Elihu Yale, who made generous contributions to the institution. Yale University’s nickname is “Old Eli”, in a nod to the benefactor.

37 Pupil locale : EYE

The pupil of the eye is the hole located in the center of the iris through which light enters the retina. The term “pupil” came into English via French from the latin “pupilla”, which is the diminutive form of “pupa” meaning “girl, doll”. The term came about due to the tiny doll-like image that one can see of oneself when looking into the center of another’s eyes.

45 Texas city on Mountain Time : EL PASO

Although there have been human settlements in the El Paso area for thousands of years, the first European settlement was founded in 1659 by the Spanish. That first community was on the south bank of the Rio Grande, and was called El Paso del Norte (the North Pass). Most of the urban development under Spanish rule took place on the south side of the river, with El Paso del Norte acting as the center of governance for the Spanish for the territory of New Mexico. The Rio Grande was chosen as the border between Mexico and the US in 1848, so most of the city of El Paso del Norte became part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua (and is now called Ciudad Juárez ). The area north of the river developed as a US military post, eventually becoming the modern city of El Paso, Texas.

47 Gay dating app : GRINDR

Grindr is a social networking app aimed at gay and bisexual men. Subscribers locate potential partners using the geolocation capabilities of smartphones. A user in a particular location can view a grid showing pictures of fellow subscribers arranged by proximity.

48 Iraqi port : BASRA

Basra is Iraq’s main port, and is located in the southeast of the country, just 34 miles from the Persian Gulf. Access to the gulf is via the Shatt al-Arab waterway, a river that discharges into the gulf in the port city of Umm Qasr.

53 Game company with a “Fuji” logo : ATARI

The logo for now defunct gaming and computer company Atari has a very simple design. It has been interpreted as a letter A, or perhaps a representation of Mount Fuji. There is also evidence that the designer intended it to evoke the graphics in Atari’s first game, “Pong”.

54 Coast Guard Academy student : CADET

The Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is located in New London, Connecticut. The USCGA was founded in 1876 as the School of Instruction of the Revenue Cutter Service. The main training vessel used by the academy is the USCGC Eagle, a tall ship formerly known as the Horst Wessel that was received from Germany in 1946 as a war reparation.

55 Mardi Gras parade-organizing group : KREWE

“Krewe” is the name given to an organization responsible for putting on parades and balls during Carnival celebrations. The most famous is the krewe that pulls together Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

58 Walkman maker : SONY

Walkman is a brand of portable audio and video products manufactured by Sony. The first Walkman was introduced in 1979 and popularized the practice of carrying music around and listening through lightweight headphones.

60 Marathoner’s wear : BIB

The marathon commemorates the legendary messenger-run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens, and is run over 26 miles and 385 yards. The first modern Olympic marathon races were run over a distance that approximated the length of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway, although the actual length of the race varied from games to games. For the 1908 Olympics in London, a course starting at Windsor Castle and ending in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium was defined. That course was 26 miles and 385 yards, the standard length now used at all Olympic Games. Organizers of subsequent games continued to vary the length of the race, until a decision was made in 1921 to adopt the distance used in London in 1908.

61 AllTrails download : MAP

AllTrails is an app that provides users access to a large database of trail maps. It is especially useful to hikers and mountain bikers.