LA Times Crossword 5 Mar 24, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Patti Varol
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Fan Heading for Fun

Themed answers start with the prefix FxN-, with x a vowel progression from A to U as we descend the grid:

  • 17A Oscar-nominated writer of “Fried Green Tomatoes” : FANNIE FLAGG
  • 24A Herbal brew with a licorice flavor : FENNEL TEA
  • 37A Physical therapy that targets hand pain : FINGER EXERCISES
  • 51A Container with melted cheese : FONDUE POT
  • 62A Button needed in some macros : FUNCTION KEY

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

Bill’s time: 5m 32s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11 Texter’s “I think” : IMO

In my opinion (IMO)

16 Go on the __: skip town : LAM

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, scram”.

17 Oscar-nominated writer of “Fried Green Tomatoes” : FANNIE FLAGG

“Fannie Flagg” is the stage name of American actress Patricia Neil. Neil had to change her name to avoid confusion with the famous Oscar-winning actress of the same name. As well as acting, Flagg is a celebrated author, her most famous work being the 1987 novel “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe”. She also wrote the screenplay for the screen adaptation “Fried Green Tomatoes”, which was released in 1991.

19 Perjure oneself : LIE

An act of perjury is the willful giving of false testimony under oath. The term “perjury” ultimately comes from the Latin “per” meaning “away” and “iurare” meaning “to swear”.

21 Actor Sheridan : TYE

Actor Tye Sheridan had one of the lead roles in the 2012 coming-of-age film “Mud”, which starred Matthew McConaughey. More recently, he played the lead in the sci-fi action film “Ready Player One”, which came out in 2018.

24 Herbal brew with a licorice flavor : FENNEL TEA

Fennel is a hardy perennial plant species in the celery family that is used as a herb. It also goes by the name “sweet anise”. Personally, I can’t stand the stuff …

29 D’backs, in box scores : ARI

The Arizona Diamondbacks (also “D-backs”) joined Major League Baseball’s National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001, they became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.

43 __ de cologne : EAU

Back in 1709, an Italian perfume-maker moved to Cologne in Germany. There he invented a new fragrance that he named Eau de Cologne after his newly adopted town. The fragrance is still produced in Cologne, using a secret formulation. However, the terms “Eau de Cologne” and “cologne”, are now used generically.

48 Cause of a bad air day : SMOG

“Smog” is a portmanteau formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s. Several cities around the world have a reputation of being particularly smoggy. For example, the most smog-plagued city in Latin America is Mexico City, which is located in a highland “bowl” that traps industrial and vehicle pollution.

51 Container with melted cheese : FONDUE POT

Fondue is a traditional Swiss dish comprising melted cheese served in a pot over a tabletop stove, into which diners dip bread. The term “fondue”, which is French for “melted”, is now applied more widely to similar dishes served in a communal pot into which a food is dipped. Traditional fondue is delicious, so very delicious …

58 Card game cry : GIN!

Gin rummy is a faster variant of standard rummy. It was introduced in 1909 by one Elwood Baker and his son.

62 Button needed in some macros : FUNCTION KEY

A macroinstruction (usually shortened to “macro”) is a set of instructions in a computer program that are abbreviated to one simple command.

64 Gymnast Mary __ Retton : LOU

Mary Lou Retton is an Olympic champion gymnast from Fairmont, West Virginia. Retton won Olympic Individual All-Around gold in the 1984 games, making her the first female athlete to do so who wasn’t from Eastern Europe.

67 USCG rank : ENS

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has the distinction of being the country’s oldest continuous seagoing service. The USCG was founded as the Revenue Cutter Service by Alexander Hamilton in 1790.

Down

2 “A Mighty Wind” actress Catherine : O’HARA

Catherine O’Hara is an actress and comedian from Toronto, Ontario. One of O’Hara’s more famous film roles is Kevin’s mother in the Christmas classic “Home Alone”. She also plays a lead character (Moira) in the excellent sitcom “Schitt’s Creek” alongside Eugen Levy.

“A Mighty Wind” is a 2003 comedy drama movie co-written and directed by Christopher Guest. The film falls into the genre known as “mockumentary”, and tells of a folk music reunion concert. Many in the cast of “A Mighty Wind” also appeared in the other successful Christopher Guest films “This is Spinal Tap”, “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best in Show”.

5 Anti-dandruff shampoo by Neutrogena : T/GEL

Neutrogena is a brand of skincare products that was founded in 1930 as a cosmetics company called Natone.

7 Nick of “48 Hrs.” : NOLTE

Actor Nick Nolte got his big break in movies playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, a film released in 1976. Around the same time, he landed a leading role in the hit TV miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man”. Off the screen, Nolte has always had a “bad-boy” reputation. He is indeed a convicted felon, for selling counterfeit draft cards in the early 1960s. He had to pay a $75,000 fine, and was given a suspended prison sentence.

8 Actor Johnson known as “The Rock” : DWAYNE

Dwayne Johnson is a former professional wrestler whose ring name was “the Rock”. He has used his success as a character in the ring, to cross over into television and movies. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as getting the highest payment for a first starring role, an incredible $5.5 million.

9 “A Mighty Wind” actor Levy : EUGENE

Eugene Levy is a Canadian actor. He is the only actor to have appeared in all of the “American Pie” movies. Levy plays the clueless, but loving, Dad. Eugene also co-created, and starred in, the Canadian sitcom “Schitt’s Creek” with his son Dan Levy.

10 Fuel economy meas. : MPG

Miles per gallon (mpg)

12 Acadia National Park state : MAINE

Acadia National Park in Maine was created in 1919, although back then it was called Lafayette National Park in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette who famously supported the American Revolution. The park was renamed to Acadia in 1929.

13 __-3 fatty acid : OMEGA

Fish oils are noted for containing omega-3 fatty acids, which have many health benefits including the reduction of inflammation. Like so many essential nutrients that we get from animals, the only reason the animal has them is that it feeds on plants. In this case, fish cannot manufacture omega-3 fatty acids, and instead absorb them from algae. Omega-3 fatty acids are also readily found in other plant oils such as flaxseed oil.

22 Russian pancakes : BLINI

A blintz (also “blintze” and “blin”, plural “blini”) is a thin pancake similar to a crêpe, although unlike a crêpe, a blintz may contain yeast.

24 Phony : FAKE

Something or someone described as phony (sometimes “phoney”) is not genuine or real. There is a suggestion that the term “phony” comes from “fawney”, which was a gold-plated brass ring used by swindlers in place of a one made of pure gold.

25 “The Other Black Girl” actor McCormack : ERIC

Canadian actor Eric McCormack first came to the public’s attention playing one of the title characters on the sitcom “Will & Grace” opposite Debra Messing. He is now a dual citizen, having taken US citizenship in 1999. In 2004, McCormack sang both the Canadian and US national anthems before the NHL All-Star Game.

27 La Brea __ Pits : TAR

The La Brea Tar Pits are located right in the heart of the city of Los Angeles. At the site there is a constant flow of tar that seeps up to the surface from underground, a phenomenon that has been around for tens of thousands of years. What is significant is that much of the seeping tar is covered by water. Over many, many centuries animals came to the water to drink and became trapped in the tar as they entered the water to quench their thirst. The tar then preserved the bones of the dead animals. Today a museum is located right by the Tar Pits, recovering bones and displaying specimens of the animals found there. It’s well worth a visit if you are in town …

29 CIO partner : AFL

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1886, making it one of the first federations of unions in the country. Over time the AFL became dominated by craft unions, unions representing skilled workers of particular disciplines. In the early thirties, John L. Lewis led a movement within the AFL to organize workers by industry, believing this would be more effective for the members. But the craft unions refused to budge, so Lewis set up a rival federation of unions in 1932, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The two federations became bitter rivals for over two decades until finally merging in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.

30 Brazilian city : RIO

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). “Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Year’s Day in 1502.

38 “Everyday Italian” cookbook writer De Laurentiis : GIADA

Giada De Laurentiis is a celebrity chef who started making regular appearances on television when she hosted “Behind the Bash” in 2005 on the Food Network. She opened her first restaurant, named “GIADA”, in 2014 in Las Vegas.

41 Mai tai liquor : RUM

The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.

46 Peanut or pea : LEGUME

Plants called legumes are notable in that they work symbiotically with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, microorganisms found in the root nodules that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium ions. As nitrogen is an essential component of proteins, legumes are exceptionally rich sources of plant protein. Examples of legumes are peas, beans, lentils and peanuts.

I have to say it, because it drives me crazy. Peanuts aren’t nuts. They’re legumes, a plant in the bean and pea family. The flowers of the peanut plant last only one day and then wither. The fertilized ovary develops an elongated “peg” that grows downwards, pushing the ovary down into the soil. The ovary develops underground into a mature peanut pod containing between one and four seeds, which we call “nuts”. But they aren’t nuts. Did I say that already …?

47 Cactus quills : SPINES

The cactus (plural “cacti”) is a member of a family of plants that are particularly well-adapted to extremely dry environments. Almost all cacti are native to the Americas, although some succulent plants from the old world are similar in appearance and are often mislabeled as “cacti”.

50 “Ozark” Emmy winner Julia : GARNER

Actress Julia Garner is perhaps best known for playing the very strong female character Ruth Langmore in the excellent TV drama “Ozark”. I also remember her from “The Americans” and “Dirty John”, two more excellent drama shows on television.

“Ozark” is an excellent TV crime show starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a married couple who relocate from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks. The couple fall foul of a Mexican drug lord after a money laundering scheme goes awry. The show is set at a lake resort in the Ozarks, although filming actually takes place at lakes in the Atlanta area in order to take advantage of tax breaks offered by the State of Georgia.

51 Aesop tale : FABLE

Aesop is remembered today as a fabulist, a writer of fables. Aesop lived in ancient Greece, probably around the sixth century BC. Supposedly he was born a slave, somehow became a free man, but then met with a sorry end. Aesop was sent to the city of Delphi on a diplomatic mission but instead insulted the Delphians. He was tried on a trumped-up charge of stealing from a temple, sentenced to death and was thrown off a cliff.

52 Celestial hunter : ORION

According to Greek mythology, Orion was a giant hunter who was placed in the night sky by Zeus, the king of the gods. Orion is very recognizable as a constellation, especially with the three bright stars known as “Orion’s Belt”. The brightest star in the sky, Sirius, is said to be Orion’s hunting dog, and this star sits at Orion’s “foot”.

55 Chicken __ masala : TIKKA

The word “tikka” in Indian cuisine refers to a small cutlet or croquette.

Chicken tikka masala is a dish consisting of chicken tikka (chunks of marinated chicken) served in a masala sauce. Masala is the Hindi word for “mixture”, and describes a mixture of spices. A dish named “masala” uses the spices incorporated into a sauce that includes garlic, ginger, onions and chili paste. Although served as part of Indian cuisine, there seems to be a lot of evidence that chicken tikka masala was actually invented in an Indian restaurant in Britain.

63 Low card in a royal flush : TEN

The poker hand called a royal flush is the highest-ranking hand possible. It consists of a run of 10, jack, queen, king and ace, with all in the same suit.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Nail polish layer : COAT
5 Bicycle for two : TANDEM
11 Texter’s “I think” : IMO
14 “Yeah, doubtful” : UH, NO!
15 “Act your age!” : GROW UP!
16 Go on the __: skip town : LAM
17 Oscar-nominated writer of “Fried Green Tomatoes” : FANNIE FLAGG
19 Perjure oneself : LIE
20 Thrifty : FRUGAL
21 Actor Sheridan : TYE
22 Fireworks show sound : BANG!
23 Nostalgic sch. visitor, perhaps : ALUM
24 Herbal brew with a licorice flavor : FENNEL TEA
26 Spanish “this” : ESTA
28 Stranger than strange : EERIE
29 D’backs, in box scores : ARI
32 Pseudonym letters : AKA
34 Totally silly : INANE
37 Physical therapy that targets hand pain : FINGER EXERCISES
42 Puzzle genre : LOGIC
43 __ de cologne : EAU
44 Female sheep : EWE
45 Some British peers : EARLS
48 Cause of a bad air day : SMOG
51 Container with melted cheese : FONDUE POT
54 “Well, fudge” : RATS
57 Diva’s solo : ARIA
58 Card game cry : GIN!
59 Is worthy of : MERITS
61 Prefix with diversity : BIO-
62 Button needed in some macros : FUNCTION KEY
64 Gymnast Mary __ Retton : LOU
65 Folded egg dish : OMELET
66 Makes do, with “out” : EKES …
67 USCG rank : ENS
68 Hold a grudge against : RESENT
69 Paying close attention : RAPT

Down

1 Shirt sleeve’s end : CUFF
2 “A Mighty Wind” actress Catherine : O’HARA
3 Render invalid : ANNUL
4 __-in-cheek : TONGUE
5 Anti-dandruff shampoo by Neutrogena : T/GEL
6 Dog kennel sound : ARF!
7 Nick of “48 Hrs.” : NOLTE
8 Actor Johnson known as “The Rock” : DWAYNE
9 “A Mighty Wind” actor Levy : EUGENE
10 Fuel economy meas. : MPG
11 Uncomfortable : ILL AT EASE
12 Acadia National Park state : MAINE
13 __-3 fatty acid : OMEGA
18 Proactive Health dog food maker : IAMS
22 Russian pancakes : BLINI
24 Phony : FAKE
25 “The Other Black Girl” actor McCormack : ERIC
27 La Brea __ Pits : TAR
29 CIO partner : AFL
30 Brazilian city : RIO
31 Cleverly inventive : INGENIOUS
33 Body spray brand : AXE
35 Just out of the box : NEW
36 Linguistic suffix : -ESE
38 “Everyday Italian” cookbook writer De Laurentiis : GIADA
39 Neutral hue : ECRU
40 West’s opponent, in some All-Star games : EAST
41 Mai tai liquor : RUM
46 Peanut or pea : LEGUME
47 Cactus quills : SPINES
49 Cute name for a black-and-white pet : OREO
50 “Ozark” Emmy winner Julia : GARNER
51 Aesop tale : FABLE
52 Celestial hunter : ORION
53 Dad’s brother, in Paris : ONCLE
55 Chicken __ masala : TIKKA
56 Like a challenging climb : STEEP
59 Baseball glove : MITT
60 Method: Abbr. : SYST
62 The “F” of FYI : FOR
63 Low card in a royal flush : TEN

10 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 5 Mar 24, Tuesday”

  1. 9:22, 2 errors (a typo). Didn’t fully get the theme until reading Bill’s explanation; I initially thought it was something like F_vowel_double_letter….

  2. Picked up on the “F” thing fairly quick but never noticed the vowel progression util Bill pointed it out.

    DOH moment on 10D. Put in MPH instead of MPG. So that left me with FANNIE FAGH.

  3. No errors…didn’t pick up the theme…way too many obscure proper names.
    Stay safe😀

  4. Interesting and Fair Tuesday puzzle. I like others saw the F part of the theme but since the first two I solved included Fannie and Finger, I thought we were going for body parts🙄.

  5. 6 mins 32 seconds and no errors or issues. Apparently, editor Patty is better at constructing puzzles than editing them. This grid was totally guile-free.

  6. 8:32 – 2 typos.

    A Patti Puzzle!!!

    Theme (as usual) went right by me until I read Bill.

    Be Well.

  7. Mostly easy Tuesday for me; took 8:05 with no peeks or errors. Didn’t know any of the names in the puzzle, in fact it’s easier to name the ones I knew: LOU and NOLTE. Finished before the theme became an issue.

    Made some good guesses and only had to change ERIn and INGENeOUS.

  8. 8:11 – no errors or lookups. False starts: UHUH>UHNO, CDR>ENS.

    New or forgotten: “A Mighty Wind” (twice), ERIC McCormack, GIADA De Laurentiis, Julia GARNER.

    I saw the vowel progression of the “FxN” starts to those five answers, but couldn’t figure out a “title” for them. Bill’s “Fan Heading for Fun” works for me!

    Overall, a good Tuesday effort on the part of the constructor.

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