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Constructed by: Robin Stears
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Reveal Answer: Upside-Down Cakes
Themed answers are all in the down-direction. Each includes “CAKE” as a hidden word, but written UPSIDE DOWN:
- 10D Desserts flipped after baking, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : UPSIDE-DOWN CAKES
- 3D *Act the mediator : SEEK A COMPROMISE
- 8D *Illinois alma mater of Ronald Reagan : EUREKA COLLEGE
- 17D *”Malcolm in the Middle” actress : JANE KACZMAREK
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 8m 15s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
9 Software glitches : BUGS
Back in 1947, famed computer programmer Grace Hopper noticed some colleagues fixing a piece of equipment by removing a dead moth from a relay. She remarked that they were “debugging” the system, and so Hopper has been given credit for popularizing the term “bug” in the context of computing.
14 Slacks, slangily : TROU
The term “slacks” was introduced in the early 1800s with the meaning “loose trousers”. Those early slacks were part of a military uniform.
15 Fall birthstone : OPAL
Here is the “official” list of birthstones, by month, that we tend to use today:
- January: Garnet
- February: Amethyst
- March: Bloodstone or Aquamarine
- April: Diamond
- May: Emerald
- June: Pearl or Moonstone
- July: Ruby
- August: Sardonyx or Peridot
- September: Sapphire or Lapis Lazuli
- October: Opal or Pink Tourmaline
- November: Topaz or Citrine
- December: Turquoise or Zircon (also now, Tanzanite)
17 Wag : JOKER
A very amusing person might be referred to as a card, stitch, wag or riot.
19 Watering hole where servers may wear leis : TIKI BAR
The world’s first tiki bar was called “Don the Beachcomber”, and was opened in L.A. in 1933 by Ernest Gantt (also known as “Donn Beach”). The bar became famous for its exotic rum cocktails. Gantt was called to serve in WWII, and the business expanded dramatically under his ex-wife’s management so that there was a 160-restaurant chain waiting for Gantt when he returned stateside.
21 Animal Planet’s “Crikey! It’s the Irwins” co-star : TERRI
“Crikey! It’s the Irwins” is a reality show from Australia that follows the family of the late Steve Irwin, the conservationist and zookeeper. Stars of the show are Terri Irwin, Steve’s widow and owner of Australia Zoo, her daughter Bindi and son Robert.
23 Dead __ Scrolls : SEA
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered over a period of years, between 1947 and 1956, in eleven caves (the Qumran Caves) on the shores of the Dead Sea. The scrolls are believed to have been written by an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, although this has been called into question recently. Many of the texts are copies of writings from the Hebrew Bible.
24 “The Memory of Trees” singer : ENYA
“The Memory of Trees” is a 1995 studio album released by Irish singer/songwriter Enya. On the album, she sings in several languages: English, Irish, Spanish and Latin.
31 Linguist Chomsky : NOAM
Noam Chomsky is a former professor of linguistics at MIT. He is known as one of the fathers of modern linguistics.
33 Org. concerned with “forever chemicals” : EPA
The term “forever chemicals” has been used to describe PFAs: per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These are man-made chemicals used widely in consumer goods, and which are extremely toxic at very low concentrations. The chemical structure of PFAs makes them difficult to break down, both in our bodies and in the environment, hence the moniker “forever chemicals”.
34 Language related to Czech : SLOVAK
Slovak is one of the slavic languages, and the official language of the nation of Slovakia. It is very closely related to Czech, so Czech and Slovak speakers can usually understand each other.
Czechoslovakia existed as a sovereign state in Europe from 1918, at which time it declared itself independent from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The country went through much turmoil through the days of Nazi and Soviet occupation, but democracy was restored in 1989 after the nonviolent Velvet Revolution that overthrew the communist government. Nationalist tendencies did develop over time, leading to a peaceful dissolution of the country in 1993, and the creation of the two independent states of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic (aka “Slovakia”).
37 Yemeni port : ADEN
Aden is a seaport in Yemen that is located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1838 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. A native of Aden is known as an Adeni. Some believe that Cain and Abel are buried in the city.
41 F-150 maker : FORD
The F-Series is a line of light-duty trucks manufactured by Ford. The first generation F-series was produced from 1948 to 1952, with sizes ranging from the F-1 (½ ton pickup) to the F-8 (commercial truck). A new naming scheme (F-100 to F-250) was introduced with the second generation series, produced from 1953 to 1956. The most popular model today is the F-150, which was introduced in 1975.
43 Spy-fi org. : CIA
Spy-fi is spy fiction that includes elements of science fiction.
44 Breathing room : LEEWAY
Our word “leeway” meaning “spare margin” is nautical in origin. A vessel’s leeway is the amount of drift motion away from her intended course that is caused by the action of the wind.
47 Policy pro : CZAR
The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time. We tend to use the “czar” spelling, as opposed to “tsar”, when we describe a person today with great power or authority, e.g. “Drug Czar”.
49 President __ : PRO TEM
“Pro tempore” can be abbreviated to “pro tem” or “p.t.” “Pro tempore” is a Latin phrase that best translates as “for the time being”. It is used to describe a person who is acting for another, usually a superior. The President pro tempore of the US Senate is the person who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President of the US. It has been tradition since 1890 that the president pro tem is the most senior senator in the majority party. The president pro tem ranks highly in the line of succession to the presidency, falling third in line after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.
53 Saturn or Mercury : CAR
Saturn was a brand of automobile introduced by General Motors (GM) in 1985. The Saturn line was GM’s response to the increase in sales of Japanese imports, and was initially set up as a relatively independent division within the company. Saturn had its own assembly plant, and its own network of retailers.
The Mercury brand of car was made by Ford from 1938 until 2011. Mercury was introduced by Henry Ford’s son Edsel Ford. Mercury vehicles were positioned as being more luxurious that the regular Ford models, and more economical than Ford’s high-end Lincoln models.
56 Asia’s __ Peninsula : MALAY
The Malay Peninsula is a long, thin land mass that forms the southernmost part of the Asian mainland. On the peninsula are the countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore (an island nation off the southern tip of the peninsula). People of the Malay ethnic group are mainly found on the Malay peninsula.
58 Verification tool for online alcohol retailers, e.g. : AGE GATE
“Age gate” is a term used to describe any age verification system.
64 Furniture retailer that sells FIXA tool kits : IKEA
IKEA sells a whole range of tools under the “FIXA” name. Believe it or not, “fixa” is the Swedish word for “to fix”.
68 __ of life : TREE
In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This went against the bidding of God, and was at the urging of the serpent. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them from becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.
69 “Clue” actress Madeline : KAHN
Madeline Kahn was an actress best known for her comedic roles, especially those directed by Mel Brooks. Kahn also had her own TV sitcom, called “Oh Madeline”. But, it only lasted one season, in 1983.
“Clue” is a 1985 comedy mystery film that is based on the board game of the same name. This film did poorly at the box office, but I found it to be very entertaining and cleverly written. One unique feature of the movie is that it has three different endings.
Down
4 Interstate rig : SEMI
A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.
6 Craft for the first couples cruise? : ARK
Genesis 6:19-20 states that Noah was instructed to take two animals of every kind into the ark. Later, in Genesis 7:2-3 Noah was instructed to take on board “every clean animal by sevens … male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth”. Apparently, “extras” (7 rather than 2) were needed for ritual sacrifice.
7 Chandon’s partner : MOET
Moët & Chandon is a French winery, and one of the world’s largest producers of champagne. The company was founded by wine trader Claude Moët in 1743. The name was changed to Moët & Chandon in the 1830s when Pierre-Gabriel Chandon, an in-law to the Moët family, was given co-ownership. Moët & Chandon owns the famous Dom Pérignon brand name, honoring the Benedictine monk who did so much to improve the quality of champagne.
8 *Illinois alma mater of Ronald Reagan : EUREKA COLLEGE
Eureka College is a private school in Eureka, Illinois that was founded in 1848 as the Walnut Grove Academy. Notably, it was only the third school in the country to educate women on an equal basis with men. Our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, graduated with a BS degree from Eureka College in 1932, with a joint major in economics and sociology.
9 Scrabble surface : BOARD
The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, and is the invention of an architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts was born on April 13th, and we now celebrate National Scrabble Day on April 13th each year in his honor.
10 Desserts flipped after baking, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : UPSIDE-DOWN CAKES
An upside-down cake is one baked in a single pan, with the topping at the bottom. When cooked, it is served the right way up, as it were. I think that the most popular version here in the US is a pineapple upside-down cake. Its popularity is largely due to a contest and subsequent ads by the Dole Pineapple Company in the 1920s. Another version of upside-down cake, that is particularly common in France, is the Tarte Tatin (which has a topping of caramelized apples).
17 *”Malcolm in the Middle” actress : JANE KACZMAREK
Actress Jane Kaczmarek is best known for playing Lois, the mother on the TV show “Malcolm in the Middle”. Kaczmarek was married to actor Bradley Whitford (who played Josh Lyman on “The West Wing”) from 1992 to 2009.
I’ve never actually sat down and watched the TV comedy “Malcolm in the Middle”. It ran on Fox from 2000 to 2006. Malcolm was played by Frankie Muniz, who gave up acting to pursue a career in motor racing.
25 Like the Dada movement : ANTI-ART
Dadaism thrived during and just after WWI, and was an anti-war, anti-bourgeois and anti-art culture. The movement was launched in Zurich, Switzerland by a group of artists and writers who met to discuss art and put on performances in the Cabaret Voltaire. The same group frequently expressed disgust at the war that was raging across Europe.
27 Judith Weir composition : OPERA
British composer Jusith Weir was appointed Master of the King’s Music in 2014, making her the first woman to be so honored. The post can be compared to that of poet laureate.
30 Tony winner Judith : IVEY
Judith Ivey is an actress from El Paso, Texas. Ivey is perhaps best known for playing B. J. Poteet in the last season of the TV show “Designing Women”.
40 Soccer star Hamm : MIA
Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player. She played as a forward on the US national team that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm scored 158 international goals, which was more than any other player in the world, male or female, until the record was broken in 2013. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.
47 Cartoon frame : CEL
Animation cels are transparent sheets made of celluloid acetate that were used in traditional hand-drawn animation to create animated films. They were first introduced in the 1930s and were widely used in animation production until the late 1990s, when digital animation techniques began to dominate the industry.
52 Like some granola : OATEN
The names “Granola” and “Granula” were trademarked back in the late 1800s for whole-grain foods that were crumbled and baked until crisp. Granola was created in Dansville, New York in 1894.
54 First-stringers : A-TEAM
We’ve been using the phrases “first string” and “second string” in athletics since the mid-19th century. The expressions come from archery, in which a competitor would carry a second bowstring in case the first broke.
57 Jedi with an unusual speech pattern : YODA
In the “Star Wars” series of films, the character named Yoda has a unique speech pattern. He often uses the word order object-subject-verb. For example:
- Patience you must have …
- Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
- To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not.
59 Supermodel Hadid : GIGI
Gigi Hadid is a model from Los Angeles who started her career as a child model for the brand Baby Guess. Hadid has had an on-again, off-again relationship with British singer Zayn Malik since 2015, and they had a child together in 2020.
60 Small fry : TOT
Juvenile fish that have just grown to the point where they can feed themselves are known as “fry”. By the end of the 17th century, the phrase “small fry” was common, when referring to such fish. More recently, the phrase was applied figuratively to insignificant people, and then to little children.
61 “Ben-__” : HUR
The celebrated 1959 Charlton Heston movie “Ben-Hur” is a dramatization of a book published in 1880 by Lew Wallace titled “Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ”. The 1959 epic film won a record 11 Academy Awards, a feat that has been equaled since then but never beaten. The other winners of 11 Oscars are “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003).
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Puzzle (out) : SUSS
5 Synonymous : SAME
9 Software glitches : BUGS
13 Leg joint : KNEE
14 Slacks, slangily : TROU
15 Fall birthstone : OPAL
16 Thing : ITEM
17 Wag : JOKER
18 Like an unswept hearth : ASHY
19 Watering hole where servers may wear leis : TIKI BAR
21 Animal Planet’s “Crikey! It’s the Irwins” co-star : TERRI
23 Dead __ Scrolls : SEA
24 “The Memory of Trees” singer : ENYA
26 Youngsters : KIDDOS
29 Quote : CITE
31 Linguist Chomsky : NOAM
33 Org. concerned with “forever chemicals” : EPA
34 Language related to Czech : SLOVAK
36 SHO subsidiary : TMC
37 Yemeni port : ADEN
38 Residence : HOME
39 Pal : AMIGO
41 F-150 maker : FORD
42 Catch : ESPY
43 Spy-fi org. : CIA
44 Breathing room : LEEWAY
46 Unceasingly, in poetry : E’ER
47 Policy pro : CZAR
48 Home turf? : LAWN
49 President __ : PRO TEM
51 Pedicure targets : TOES
53 Saturn or Mercury : CAR
56 Asia’s __ Peninsula : MALAY
58 Verification tool for online alcohol retailers, e.g. : AGE GATE
60 Not that : THIS
62 Way to go : ROUTE
64 Furniture retailer that sells FIXA tool kits : IKEA
65 Remove from power : OUST
66 Lip : EDGE
67 Clockwork part : GEAR
68 __ of life : TREE
69 “Clue” actress Madeline : KAHN
70 Systems of principles : ISMS
Down
1 Funny sketches : SKITS
2 Loosen, as a bow : UNTIE
3 *Act the mediator : SEEK A COMPROMISE
4 Interstate rig : SEMI
5 Tale : STORY
6 Craft for the first couples cruise? : ARK
7 Chandon’s partner : MOET
8 *Illinois alma mater of Ronald Reagan : EUREKA COLLEGE
9 Scrabble surface : BOARD
10 Desserts flipped after baking, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : UPSIDE-DOWN CAKES
11 Exasperated cry : GAH!
12 Underhanded : SLY
17 *”Malcolm in the Middle” actress : JANE KACZMAREK
20 __ test : BETA
22 Lip : RIM
25 Like the Dada movement : ANTI-ART
27 Judith Weir composition : OPERA
28 Blondish : SANDY
30 Tony winner Judith : IVEY
32 Astonished letters : OMG!
34 Subject of a late-night countdown : SHEEP
35 Also-ran : LOSER
37 Three or four : A FEW
40 Soccer star Hamm : MIA
45 Let (up) : EASE
47 Cartoon frame : CEL
50 Officiate at a cook-off, say : TASTE
52 Like some granola : OATEN
54 First-stringers : A-TEAM
55 Brings up : REARS
57 Jedi with an unusual speech pattern : YODA
59 Supermodel Hadid : GIGI
60 Small fry : TOT
61 “Ben-__” : HUR
63 Exasperated cry : UGH!
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15 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 21 Mar 24, Thursday”
Comments are closed.
Messed up GIGI and AGE GATE. Had DIGI and AGE DATE. never heard of either one.
We refer to Upside down cake as a Bundt cake. My wife makes a mean chocolate bundt cake.
Bundt cake is not an upside down cake – bundt cakes are baked in a bundt pan and you do not flip them upside down when they are baked – they stay right side up in the shape of the pan
Actually, bundt cakes ARE flipped upside down after being baked. You’re looking at the bottom of the cake when you see the curved, fluted design! However, most of us do think of upside down cakes as the typical pineapple version.
Lol …….well then, I guess ALL cakes are upside-down cakes. Because I don’t believe there’s ever been a cake baked in the history of the world that you don’t flip it upside down to get it out of the pan.
@glen- did my first mini-new yorker today. Not much of a challenge. Today anyway. I’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Indeed. I gather there’s a fair amount of interest from people, since there’s multiple outlets making them, including the LA Times. But I don’t get why people are into these. Very little challenge, and they’re over so quick anyway. Tomorrow’s going to be smaller and even easier, per their announcement.
Ditto! After doing the previews and today’s entry, all I can say is that I mourn the loss of the 15×15 puzzles the minis replace.
Never got the theme. Had look up a couple of the PPPs. Just not into it today, unsure why. I spent too much time being annoyed at the clues so gave up and gave in.
11:11 – one letter error at MOEn/nERRI. It seems I don’t know that Chandon makes champagne (with Moet) or Steve Irwin’s widow, Terri. False start: AMC>TMC.
New or forgotten: TERRI Irwin, “The Memory of Trees,” AGE GATE, “Chandon,” “Judith Weir,” GIGI Hadid.
A simple theme – piece of cake (ha ha).
Fairly easy Thursday
DNF as I missed the a in 17 down and 56 across. Unfamiliar with both
Easy enough puzzle but the theme escaped me.
22:06 – didn’t know Policy Pro/CZAR and the long vertical cross didn’t help.
Also didn’t know JOKER/JANE… cross.
Got the two longest verticals immediately – they were gimmes. Thought it would be a “cake walk” but was proven wrong.
The theme was utterly useless, as usual.
Was challenging but just not fun.
Be Well.
No errors…theme helped me…seemed like a Monday to me.
Stay safe😀
⚾️⚾️
“Jane KACZMAREK”? Gesundheit!
Mostly easy Thursday for me, done at a leisurely pace while selling my honey at market. A little busy today, after a month’s medical break, with me able to get in a bit early and then only an entry here and there. Finally had a break after lunch where I finished it in a burst. Mused over TMC, A FEW, AGE GATE for a little bit, but crosses made the case.
Fun puzzle, reasonably good honey sales and good to reconnect with so many great people again. Three stars!