LA Times Crossword 21 Jan 25, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Janice Luttrell
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Sewing Circles

Themed answers each include CIRCLED letters that spell out a word associated with SEWING:

  • 49A Social groups that work on embroidery projects, or what can be found three times in this puzzle? : SEWING CIRCLES
  • 20A Studio co-founded by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and others : UNITED ARTISTS (hiding CIRCLED “DART”)
  • 24A Like Vera Wang and I.M. Pei : CHINESE-AMERICAN (hiding CIRCLED “SEAM”)
  • 43A Completely unplanned : SPUR OF THE MOMENT (hiding CIRCLED “HEM”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Oscar winner Guinness : ALEC

Sir Alec Guinness played many great roles over a long and distinguished career, but nowadays is best remembered (sadly, I think) for playing the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars”. He won his only Best Actor Oscar for playing Colonel Nicholson in the marvelous 1957 WWII movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”. Guinness did himself serve during the Second World War, in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. He commanded a landing craft during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.

18 “Sunflowers” and “Water Lilies” : PAINTINGS

“Sunflowers” is the name of two series of paintings by Vincent van Gogh. In the first series, painted in Paris, the flowers are lying on the ground. The more famous second series was painted in Arles, and depicts the flowers in a vase. Famously, a Japanese insurance magnate purchased “Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers” in 1987 in an auction, paying just under $40 million. This price outstripped the previous record price paid for a work of art by a wide, wide margin, one that stood at $12 million.

“Water Lilies” by French Impressionist Claude Monet is actually a whole series of paintings, numbering about 250 in total. The subjects of the works were the water lilies in Monet’s flower garden at Giverny in northern France.

20 Studio co-founded by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and others : UNITED ARTISTS (hiding CIRCLED “DART”)

United Artists (UA) was founded in 1919 by four of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time: Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. They created the company to give filmmakers more control over their own work, free from the constraints of the big studios. UA had a major impact on the film industry, releasing classics like “The Gold Rush”, “Robin Hood” and “Some Like It Hot”.

23 Air traffic org. : FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was set up in 1958 (as the Federal Aviation Agency). The agency was established at that particular time largely in response to an increasing number of midair collisions. The worst of these disasters had taken place two years earlier over the Grand Canyon, a crash between two commercial passenger airplanes that resulted in 128 fatalities.

24 Like Vera Wang and I.M. Pei : CHINESE-AMERICAN (hiding CIRCLED “SEAM”)

Vera Wang’s first choice for a career was figure skating. Although she is a very capable skater, Wang failed to make the 1968 US Olympics team. She switched to the world of fashion, and is now famous for her designs of wedding dresses … and also costumes for figure skaters.

Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei was raised in Shanghai. He moved to the US to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Although he transferred soon after to MIT. The list of his designs includes the John F. Kennedy Library in Massachusetts, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the celebrated glass-and-steel pyramid in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Pei passed away in 2019, at 102 years of age.

33 Luxury watch brand : ROLEX

My most-prized possession is a beautiful stainless steel Rolex watch that my uncle bought while serving with the RAF in Canada during WWII. Rolex watches were made available to the Canadian servicemen at that time as they were shipping overseas. My uncle brought his Rolex home to Ireland after the war. He needed money one weekend and so sold the watch to my Dad, for five pounds. My Dad gave it to me just before he died, as he knew I loved the watch, and my brothers weren’t interested in it all. Not so long ago I had the watch appraised ($3,000), and my brothers suddenly took a liking to it! Still, it’s not something that will ever be sold, that’s for sure …

34 The red planet : MARS

The surface of the planet Mars has a very high iron oxide content, so Mars is red because it is rusty!

36 Numbered musical composition : OPUS

The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”. We sometimes use the plural “opuses” in English, but that’s just to annoy me …

39 Fencer’s handful : HILT

The hilt of a sword consists of a grip and a guard (sometimes “bell guard”). One grasps the sword with the grip, and the guard is a metal shell that is designed to protect the fingers.

40 Telluride or Escalade : SUV

The Kia Telluride is a mid-size SUV that was launched in 2019. It is named for the Colorado town of Telluride, and is the largest vehicle that Kia ever made for the US market.

The Escalade is a full-size SUV that Cadillac introduced in 1999. The word “escalade” describes the act of scaling defensive walls with ladders during a siege.

42 Muscular strength : SINEW

“Sinew” is another name for “tendon”. Tendons are bands of collagen that connect muscle to bone. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae, which are also connective tissue made out of collagen, but ligaments join bone to bone, and fasciae connect muscle to muscle. We also use the term “sinew” to mean “muscular power”.

61 Gymnast Comaneci : NADIA

Romanian Nadia Comaneci won three golds in the 1976 Summer Olympics and was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of ten in the gymnastics competition. Comaneci published a book called “Letters to a Young Gymnast” in 2003, and now lives in the United States.

62 Paella vegetables : PEAS

Paella is sometimes referred to as the Spanish national dish, but not by Spaniards. In Spain, paella is regarded as a typical regional dish from Valencia. The name “paella” means “frying pan” in Valencian, and is a reference to the shallow vessel traditionally used to cook the dish over an open fire.

63 Absolut rival : SKYY

Skyy Vodka is produced in the US, although the operation is owned by the Campari Group headquartered in Italy. Skyy first hit the shelves in 1992 when it was created by an entrepreneur from San Francisco, California.

Down

1 First Amendment advocacy gp. : ACLU

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

3 German auto : AUDI

The Audi name has an interesting history. The Horch company was founded by August Horch in 1909. Early in the life of the new company, Horch was forced out of his own business. He set up a new enterprise and continued to use his own name as a brand. The old company sued him for using the Horch name so a meeting was held to choose something new. Horch’s young son was studying Latin in the room where the meeting was taking place. He pointed out that “horch” was German for “hear” and he suggested “Audi” as a replacement, the Latin for “listen”.

4 Gael, for one : CELT

The Celts are a very broad group of people across Europe who are linked by common languages. The original Celts were largely absorbed by other cultures, although a relatively modern revival of the “Celtic identity” is alive and well in Britain and Ireland. Such Celtic peoples today are mainly found in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany in France.

5 Facial tissue brand : KLEENEX

Even though “Kleenex” is sometimes used today as a generic term for a tissue, “Kleenex” is a brand name owned by Kimberly-Clark. Kleenex facial tissues came about after WW1. The material used in the tissue had been developed as a replacement for cotton that was in high demand as surgical tissue during the war. The material developed was called “Cellucotton” and was used in gas mask filters. It was first sold as a facial tissue under the name “Kleenex” in 1924.

7 Shakespearean king with three daughters : LEAR

William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” is one of his tragedies. Lear demands homage from his three daughters as he divides up his kingdom between them. The two older daughters, Goneril and Regan, pretend to be devoted to their father, but the youngest, Cordela, refuses to be insincere. Goneril and Regan assume power, but turn on their father, who chooses to become destitute and goes insane.

9 Many Christmas trees : CONIFERS

The cones of conifers are the tree’s reproductive structures. There are both male and female cones. We are most familiar with woody cones, and these are the female structures that produce seeds. Male cones are softer and are not woody, and they produce pollen.

10 Rum and curaçao cocktail : MAI TAI

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”.

13 __ Vegas : LAS

Back in the 1800s, the Las Vegas Valley was given its name from the extensive meadows (“las vegas” is Spanish for “the meadows”) present in the area courtesy of the artesian wells drilled by local farmers. Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1905, in the days when it was a stopping-off point for pioneers traveling west. It eventually became a railroad town, although with the coming of the railroad growth halted as travelers began to bypass Las Vegas. The city’s tourism industry took off in 1935 with the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam, which is still a popular attraction. Then gambling was legalized, and things really started to move. Vegas was picked, largely by celebrated figures in “the mob”, as a convenient location across the California/Nevada state line that could service the vast population of Los Angeles. As a result, Las Vegas is the most populous US city founded in the 20th century (Chicago is the most populous city founded in the 19th century, just in case you were wondering).

24 Symbol of Christianity : CROSS

In many of the Christian traditions, a crucifix is a representation of Jesus on the cross. The term “crucifix” comes from the Latin “cruci fixus” meaning “fixed to a cross”.

26 Candy heart words : I LUV U

The forerunner to Sweethearts candy was introduced in 1866, with the famous sayings written on the candy tailored for use at weddings. One of the original expressions was, “Married in pink, he will take a drink”. The original candy was a lot bigger, to fit all those words! The smaller, heart-shaped candy hit the shelves in 1901. We’ve been able to buy Sweethearts with the words “Text me” since 2010.

27 Super Mario Bros. console : NES

“Super Mario” is a series of video games created by Nintendo that features the character Mario, and his adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom.

28 Barn-raising sect : AMISH

The Amish are members of a group of Christian churches, and a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish church originated in Switzerland and Alsace in 1693 when it was founded by Jakob Ammann. It was Ammann who gave the name to the Amish people. Many Amish people came to Pennsylvania in the 18th century.

30 “Alfie” star Michael : CAINE

There have been only two actors who have been nominated for an Academy Award in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s. One is Jack Nicholson, and the other is Michael Caine. Caine is now known as Sir Michael Caine, as he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the year 2000.

There have been two versions of the movie “Alfie”. The original, and for my money the best, was made in 1966 with Michael Caine. The remake came out in 2004 and stars Jude Law in the title role. The theme song was performed by Cher in the 1966 movie, but it was Dionne Warwick’s cover version from 1967 that was the most successful in the charts.

31 “The Bear” Emmy winner Jeremy __ White : ALLEN

“The Bear” is a comedy-drama TV show that started airing in 2022. It stars Jeremy Allen White (of “Shameless” fame) as a chef from a Michelin-star restaurant who heads home to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after his brother dies. I really enjoyed this one …

38 Simon Cowell’s competition show, briefly : AGT

NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” (AGT) is part of a global franchise based in the UK. The original show is called “Britain’s Got Talent”, and the whole franchise is owned by Simon Cowell. The first host of “America’s Got Talent” was Regis Philbin (2006), followed by Jerry Springer, Nick Cannon, Tyra Banks and Terry Crews.

Simon Cowell was invited to be a judge on “Pop Idol”, a British show that spawned “American Idol”. Cowell was then asked to take part in the US spin-off, and we haven’t stopped seeing him since …

41 “My Fair Lady” composer Frederick : LOEWE

Frederick Loewe was a composer who was best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, the most famous of which were “My Fair Lady”, “Gigi” and “Camelot”.

George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion” was adapted by Lerner and Loewe to become the Broadway musical “My Fair Lady”. The musical spun off the wonderful 1964 film of the same name starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. To cockney Eliza Doolittle, Professor Henry Higgins was “‘Enry ‘Iggins”.

44 Big name in peanut butter candy : REESE’S

Harry Burnett “HB” Reese founded Reese’s Candy Company in 1923. Prior to forming his own company, Reese had worked as a dairy farmer and shipping foreman for Milton S Hershey, the founder of the Hershey Company. In 1928, Reese invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, which were destined to become the top-selling candy brand in the US.

53 Tupperware toppers : LIDS

Back in the 1930s, Earl Tupper was working at the DuPont Chemical Company, and from DuPont obtained inflexible pieces of polyethylene slag. Tupper purified the slag and shaped it into unbreakable containers. He added airtight lids with a “burping seal” that provided tight seals similar to that provided by the lids on paint cans. He called his new product Tupperware.

54 Pop singer Sands : EVIE

Evie Sands is a singer from Brooklyn, New York. She is also a noted songwriter, having penned songs that have been recorded by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, Karen Carpenter, Linda Ronstadt and Dusty Springfield.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Taken __: surprised : ABACK
6 Oscar winner Guinness : ALEC
10 Think (over) : MULL
14 Heartless : CRUEL
15 Showroom sample : DEMO
16 Length x width : AREA
17 Soup scoop : LADLE
18 “Sunflowers” and “Water Lilies” : PAINTINGS
20 Studio co-founded by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and others : UNITED ARTISTS (hiding CIRCLED “DART”)
22 Eggy holiday drink : NOG
23 Air traffic org. : FAA
24 Like Vera Wang and I.M. Pei : CHINESE-AMERICAN (hiding CIRCLED “SEAM”)
33 Luxury watch brand : ROLEX
34 The red planet : MARS
35 The “A” of IPA : ALE
36 Numbered musical composition : OPUS
37 Manicure targets : NAILS
39 Fencer’s handful : HILT
40 Telluride or Escalade : SUV
41 Fireplace stack : LOGS
42 Muscular strength : SINEW
43 Completely unplanned : SPUR OF THE MOMENT (hiding CIRCLED “HEM”)
47 Always, poetically : E’ER
48 Soak (up), as gravy : SOP
49 Social groups that work on embroidery projects, or what can be found three times in this puzzle? : SEWING CIRCLES
56 Careful examination : CLOSE LOOK
58 __ and kicking : ALIVE
59 Assistant : AIDE
60 Folk tales : LORE
61 Gymnast Comaneci : NADIA
62 Paella vegetables : PEAS
63 Absolut rival : SKYY
64 Beginning stage : ONSET

Down

1 First Amendment advocacy gp. : ACLU
2 High-fiber cereal ingredient : BRAN
3 German auto : AUDI
4 Gael, for one : CELT
5 Facial tissue brand : KLEENEX
6 Newspaper income source : AD PAGE
7 Shakespearean king with three daughters : LEAR
8 Give off : EMIT
9 Many Christmas trees : CONIFERS
10 Rum and curaçao cocktail : MAI TAI
11 Large coffee dispensers : URNS
12 Table support : LEG
13 __ Vegas : LAS
19 Former Russian rulers : TSARS
21 Spanish two : DOS
24 Symbol of Christianity : CROSS
25 Invitation to a dog while patting the bed, perhaps : HOP UP
26 Candy heart words : I LUV U
27 Super Mario Bros. console : NES
28 Barn-raising sect : AMISH
29 “Bad” prefix : MAL-
30 “Alfie” star Michael : CAINE
31 “The Bear” Emmy winner Jeremy __ White : ALLEN
32 Food package abbr. : NET WT
37 Without any extras : NO FRILLS
38 Simon Cowell’s competition show, briefly : AGT
39 He/__ pronouns : HIM
41 “My Fair Lady” composer Frederick : LOEWE
42 Opera heroine, often : SOPRANO
44 Big name in peanut butter candy : REESE’S
45 “Get me outta here” button : ESC KEY
46 “Pretentious? __?” : MOI?
49 Fountain drink : SODA
50 Alcove : NOOK
51 Unpleasant, as details : GORY
52 Family : CLAN
53 Tupperware toppers : LIDS
54 Pop singer Sands : EVIE
55 Airplane assignment : SEAT
56 Ballplayer’s hat : CAP
57 Fib : LIE