LA Times Crossword 13 Sep 24, Friday

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Constructed by: Joe Deeney
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Trite

Themed answers each include “TE”, THREE times:

• 65A Banal, or a three-part hint for the answers to the starred clues : TRITE or TRI-TE

• 17A *Asked for trouble : TEMPTED FATE
• 24A *Nickname for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio where Bugs Bunny was developed : TERMITE TERRACE
• 34A *Van Gogh painting also known as “Sorrowing Old Man” : AT ETERNITY’S GATE
• 47A *GPS offering, maybe : ALTERNATE ROUTE
• 56A *One who might leave bite marks? : TASTE TESTER

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

Bill’s time: 9m 36s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Universal donor’s type, briefly : O-NEG

In general, a person with type O-negative blood is a universal donor, meaning that his or her blood can be used for transfusion into persons with any other blood type: A, B, AB or O, negative or positive (although there are other considerations). Also in general, a person with type AB-positive blood is a universal recipient, meaning that he or she can receive a transfusion of blood of any type: A, B, AB or O, negative or positive.

10 __ generis : SUI

“Sui generis” is a Latin expression meaning “of its own kind”. The term can be used in a number of fields, and in philosophy it refers to an idea which cannot be included in a wider concept, and idea of its own kind.

13 “Spirited Away” genre : ANIME

The Japanese animated movie “Spirited Away” was released in 2001, and is very highly regarded by film critics. It also won that season’s Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

14 First State capital : DOVER

The city of Dover is the capital of Delaware, and is the state’s second biggest city (after Wilmington). Dover is named after the town of Dover on the south coast of England, and was given that name by William Penn. The English Dover lies in the county of Kent, and the American Dover resides in Kent County.

The state of Delaware takes its name from Virginia’s first colonial governor, Englishman Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. Delaware is known as “the First State” as it was the first to ratify the US Constitution, in 1787.

16 Sculptor Gillen : ANN

American sculptor Ann Gillen works in a variety of mediums. One theme that runs through the majority of her commissioned works is the human body in motion. One of her more famous pieces is “Flying Red”, an aluminum sculpture that has stood in Midtown Manhattan since 1987.

20 Shot spot : ARM

An injection using a hypodermic needle might be termed a “shot” in North America, and a “jab” in Britain and Ireland.

21 Game cube : DIE

The numbers on dice are arranged so that the opposite faces add up to seven. Given this arrangement, the numbers 1, 2 and 3 all meet at a common vertex. There are two ways of arranging the 1, 2 and 3 around the common vertex, a so-called right-handed die (clockwise 1-2-3) or a left-handed die (counterclockwise 1-2-3). Traditionally, dice used in Western cultures are right-handed, whereas Chinese dice are left-handed. Quite interesting …

22 Handy reference for a crossword constructor : ROGET’S

Peter Mark Roget was an English lexicographer. He was an avid maker of lists, apparently using the routine of list-making to combat depression, a condition he endured for most of his life. Roget published his famous thesaurus in 1852, with revisions and expansions being made years later by his son, and then in turn by his grandson.

24 *Nickname for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio where Bugs Bunny was developed : TERMITE TERRACE

The original Warner Brothers Animation Studio was housed in less-than-ideal conditions on the Warner Bros. lot. The building was small, cramped, and somewhat dilapidated, leading the animators to jokingly compare it to a place infested with termites, and to dub it “Termite Terrace”.

28 Like granola : OATY

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.

33 Start at the beginning? : ESS

The beginning of the word “start” is a letter S (ess).

34 *Van Gogh painting also known as “Sorrowing Old Man” : AT ETERNITY’S GATE

“Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity’s Gate)” is an 1890 oil painting by Vincent van Gogh. It depicts an elderly man dressed in blue, sitting on a chair with his head bowed down onto his clenched hands. Van Gogh completed the work just two months before he committed suicide.

45 Paint brand at Home Depot : BEHR

The name of the Behr brand of paint is pronounced “bear”, and the cans even have a bear logo. The company was founded in 1947 by Otho Behr, Jr.

52 “You for Me” singer Rita : ORA

Rita Ora is a British singer who was born Rita Sahatçiu in Pristina, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. The family name “Sahatçiu” comes from a Turkish word meaning “watchmaker”. Rita’s parents changed their name to make it easier to pronounce. So, the family name morphed from “watchmaker” to “time”, which is “ora” in Albanian.

53 Purple yam in some desserts : UBE

Ube is a species of yam that is purple in color. I’m a big fan of ube ice cream. Potato-flavored ice cream; what’s not to like?!

62 __-Grain cereal bars : NUTRI

The Nutri-Grain brand of breakfast foods is made by Kellogg. The brand was actually introduced first in Australia in 1981.

63 __ Moines, Iowa : DES

The city of Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and takes its name from the Des Moines River. The river in turn takes its name from the French “Riviere des Moines” meaning “River of the Monks”. It looks like there isn’t any “monkish” connection to the city’s name per se. “Des Moines” was just the name given by French traders who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Illinois Native Americans who lived by the river. However, others contend that French Trappist monks, who lived a full 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.

Down

1 Mined stuff : DATA

The process of data mining is used to extract information from a database and present it in a form that facilitates further use.

2 Like helium : INERT

Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and the element symbol “He”. It is a gas, lighter than air, and is the second-most abundant element in the universe (after hydrogen). Helium was first detected in 1868 as an unknown yellow spectral line during a solar eclipse. As such, the gas was named for “Helios”, the Greek god of the Sun.

7 Pro bono : NO-FEE

The Latin term “pro bono publico” means “for the public good”, and is usually shortened to “pro bono”. The term applies to professional work that is done for free or at a reduced fee as a service to the public.

8 Green of “Casino Royale” : EVA

Despite the English-sounding name, Eva Green is a French actress. Green played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the 2006 movie “Casino Royale” opposite Daniel Craig.

2006’s “Casino Royale” is the 21st film in the “James Bond” series, and the first to star Daniel Craig in the lead role. The film was directed by New Zealander Martin Campbell, someone who was my next door neighbor for a couple of years (my claim to fame!). Campbell also directed “GoldenEye” in 1995, which introduced Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. I find it interesting that Campbell was asked back to oversee the introduction of Daniel Craig to the role.

23 Hurdle for Ph.D. hopefuls : GRE

Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

25 __ cellar : ROOT

A root cellar (also “fruit cellar, earth cellar”) is a storage space devoted to the preservation of vegetables and other foods. As the name implies, the original root cellars were built to store root vegetables in an underground structure.

26 World of Warcraft charmer : MAGE

“Mage” is an archaic word meaning “magician, wizard”.

World of Warcraft is an online role-playing game (RPG). My son informs me that the game is not that great. Like I would know …

31 Does one’s om work? : MEDITATES

“Om” is a sacred mystic word from the Hindu tradition. “Om” is sometimes used as a mantra, a focus for the mind in meditation.

35 Plan B time : RAIN DATE

A rain date is an alternative date scheduled if an event is postponed due to rain.

36 “Little Girl Blue” singer Simone : NINA

“Little Girl Blue” is Nina Simone’s debut album. It was released in 1959 when she was in her mid-20s. The album sold millions of copies, and yet Simone made a mere $3,000 from it. All of the royalties went to jazz label Bethlehem Records.

37 Neighborhood near Tribeca : SOHO

The Manhattan neighborhood known today as SoHo was very fashionable in the early 1900s, but as the well-heeled started to move uptown the area became very run down and poorly maintained. Noted for the number of fires that erupted in derelict buildings, SoHo earned the nickname “Hell’s Hundred Acres”. The area was then zoned for manufacturing and became home to many sweatshops. In the mid-1900s artists started to move into open loft spaces and renovating old buildings as the lofts were ideal locations in which an artist could both live and work. In 1968, artists and others organized themselves so that they could legalize their residential use of an area zoned for manufacturing. The group they formed took its name from the name given to the area by the city’s Planning Commission i.e “South of Houston”. This was shortened from So-uth of Ho-uston to SoHo as in “SoHo Artists Association”, and the name stuck.

“TriBeCa” is a clever little acronym that expands into “TRI-angle BE-low CA-nal Street”. The name of the New York City neighborhood was developed by local residents who basically copied the naming technique used by residents of the adjacent area of SoHo, with “SoHo” being short for “SO-uth of HO-uston Street”.

38 Ashram adviser : GURU

“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.

“Ashram” is a term used in the Hindu tradition to describe a place of spiritual retreat, one that is typically located in a remote location conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation.

44 “Lady Bird” Oscar nominee Gerwig : GRETA

Greta Gerwig is an actress, screenwriter and director from Sacramento whose best-known acting role is probably opposite Russell Brand in the remake of the film “Arthur”. Gerwig has turned to directing, and was at the helm for the 2019 movie “Little Women”. And then, she co-wrote and directed the hit 2023 film “Barbie”.

45 Tête toppers : BERETS

In French, one wears a “chapeau” (hat), a “béret” (beret) perhaps, on one’s “tête” (head).

46 Basic Latin verb : ERAT

“Esse” is the Latin for “to be”. “Sum” means “I am”, “est” means “he, she is”, and “erat” means “he, she was”.

49 __-frutti : TUTTI

The adjective “tutti-frutti” describes a prepared confection that has a combination of fruit flavors. “Tutti frutti” is Italian for “all fruits”.

50 “At the Movies” co-host : EBERT

The film review TV show “At the Movies” has been around since 1988 in various forms with various hosts, most famously Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Siskel and Ebert used the iconic “thumbs up and thumbs down” rating system from the very first show.

54 Pennsylvania port : ERIE

Erie is a port city in the very north of Pennsylvania, sitting on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city takes its name from the Erie Native American tribe that resided in the area. Erie is nicknamed the Gem City, a reference to the “sparkling” water of Lake Erie.

58 Tolkien’s Treebeard, for one : ENT

Treebeard is the elder of the tree-like people called Ents in J. R. R. Tolkien’s series of novels set in Middle-earth.