LA Times Crossword 27 Feb 25, Thursday

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Constructed by: Doug Peterson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Come Dancing

Themed answers all contain the letter string “COME” hidden within, but with the order DANCING around (changing):

• 65A Kinks hit about the local palais, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues?: COME DANCING

• 18A *Chimp aboard a rocket, say: SPACE MONKEY
• 24A *Entertainment systems sold with controllers: GAME CONSOLES
• 40A *Storage area in a dashboard: GLOVE COMPARTMENT
• 55A *Garage employee: AUTO MECHANIC

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

Bill’s time: 6m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Worthless stuff: DROSS

When metals are smelted, there is a scum made up of impurities that floats on the surface of the molten metal. This scum is called “dross” and is drawn off and discarded. The term “dross” has come to mean any waste or impure matter.

11 Sacred Egyptian bird: IBIS

The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!

16 Prepare to start a hole: TEE UP

In the game of golf, a “tee” is a wooden or plastic peg on which one can place a ball when “teeing off”. Also, the “teeing ground” (sometimes “tee” or “tee box”) is the area at the beginning of the hole from which the first stroke is taken, from where one tees off.

17 Slam __: DUNK

In basketball, a player makes a slam dunk by jumping up and powering the ball downward into the basket with his or her hands over the rim. The term “slam dunk” was coined by Chick Hearn, an announcer for the L.A. Lakers. The NBA even holds an annual Slam Dunk Contest.

18 *Chimp aboard a rocket, say: SPACE MONKEY

The common chimpanzee is a species of great ape, i.e. a member of the Hominidae family (along with gorillas, humans and orangutans). The human and chimpanzee branches of the Hominidae family tree diverged 4-6 million years ago, making the chimp our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom. There is a common misconception that chimps are monkeys, but they aren’t …

22 Beat on eBay: OUTBID

eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer was a collector of broken laser pointers …

27 Calico’s outdoor enclosure: CATIO

A “catio” is an enclosed, outdoor space accessible to an “indoor cat”. It gives the cat safe access to the outdoors, while at the same time protecting wildlife. It’s a “cat patio”.

Domestic cats with a white coat and patches of brown and black are called calico cats in this country. Back in Ireland, and the rest of the world I think, such cats are called tortoiseshell-and-white. “Calico” is not a breed of cat, but rather a coloring.

31 Walk of Fame symbol: STAR

Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles is home to the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, comprising over 2,500 stars embedded in the sidewalk. The thoroughfare was named Prospect Boulevard until 1920, when the town of Hollywood was annexed by the city of Los Angeles.

33 Nuts in a chipmunk’s hoard: ACORNS

Chipmunks are rodents found almost exclusively in North America. It has been suggested that the name “chipmunk” comes from the Ojibwa word “ajidamoo”, which translates literally as “head first”. The idea is that the chipmunk was viewed as a red squirrel noted for descending tree trunks “head first”.

46 Goose Island brew, for short: IPA

Goose Island Brewery is located in Chicago, Illinois. It is named for the nearby artificial island formed by the Chicago river and the North Branch Canal.

48 “The Addams Family” cousin: ITT

In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family has a frequent visitor named Cousin Itt. He is a short man with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. Itt was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.

51 “Tell Mama” singer James: ETTA

“Tell Mama” is a 1967 song recorded by Etta James that was written by singer Clarence Carter. Carter had released a 1966 version of the song himself, under the original title “Tell Daddy”.

54 Analyze for purity: ASSAY

One might assay an ore to determine its composition, its makeup.

60 Ancient musicians: LYRISTS

The lyre is a stringed instrument that is most closely associated with ancient Greece, and with the gods Hermes and Apollo in particular. According to myth, Hermes slaughtered a cow from a sacred herd belonging to Apollo and offered it to the gods but kept the entrails. Hermes used the entrails to make strings that he stretched across the shell of a tortoise, creating the first lyre. Apollo liked the sound from the lyre and agreed to accept it as a trade for his herd of cattle.

64 Dutch painter Frans: HALS

Frans Hals was a painter in the Dutch Golden Age who was born in Antwerp but who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals is best known for his portraits, the most famous of which is probably “The Laughing Cavalier”.

65 Kinks hit about the local palais, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues?: COME DANCING

“Come Dancing” is a song by the British rock band the Kinks, released in 1983. It has a nostalgic feel, reflecting on the simple pleasures of dancing and courtship in the past. The song’s lyrics tell the story of a young girl who frequented dance halls in the 1960s, dreaming of romance and a better life. Ray Davies, the lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, revealed that he composed “Come Dancing” in memory of his sister Rene, who passed away at a young age after a heart attack at a dance hall.

“Palais” comes from the French phrase “palais de danse,” which literally means “palace of dance.” The term “palais” was adopted in Britain in the early 20th century and became associated with the popular dance halls of the time.

69 Awards acronym: EGOT

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Awards (EGOT)

70 Chess grand master Krush: IRINA

Irina Krush is a Ukrainian-born American chess Grandmaster. She started playing chess when she was five years old, just before she emigrated to the US with her family. In 1998, Krush became the youngest winner of the US Women’s Chess Championship, at age 14.

74 Madeleine of “Revenge”: STOWE

Actress Madeleine Stowe’s breakthrough role was in the comedy movie “Stakeout” (1987), in which she plays the Latina waitress who is the subject of the stakeout. Another notable performance (to me) was opposite Mel Gibson in the 2002 war film “We Were Soldiers”.

“Revenge” is a drama TV show that aired for four seasons starting in 2011. Madeleine Stowe plays a woman living in the Hamptons who seeks revenge on families that wronged her two decades earlier. The storyline was inspired by the 1844 novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas.

Down

1 Green Day album released between “¡Uno!” and “¡Tré!”: DOS!

Rock band Green Day released a trilogy of studio albums sequentially from September to December in 2012. The albums were inventively titled “¡Uno!”, “¡Dos!” and “¡Tré!”

3 Actor Epps: OMAR

Actor Omar Epps was originally a rapper and was a member of a group called “Wolfpack” before he pursued acting full-time. His really big break came in the form of a recurring role on the popular medical drama series “ER”, followed by a recurring role in the TV series “House” as Dr. Eric Foreman.

4 Pet adoption org.: SPCA

Unlike most developed countries, the US has no umbrella organization with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.

5 Hall & Oates soul ballad: SHE’S GONE

“She’s Gone” is a song written and released by Daryl Hall and John Oates in 1973, and later recorded by the band Tavares.

10 Track with malware, say: SPY ON

Malware is software and program code that is created to intentionally disrupt and exploit computer systems. Viruses, worms, trojan horses and spyware are all covered by the term. “Malware” is short for “malicious software”.

12 Fuzzy pollinators: BUMBLEBEES

Bumblebees aren’t very aggressive, but they can sting if they deem it necessary. Unlike honey bees, bumblebees survive the stinging action as their stinger has no barb. There are a few misconceptions about bumblebees. One is that a bumblebee should be incapable of flight based on the laws of aerodynamics, but this isn’t true. Another misconception is that the bee’s buzzing sound is caused by the beating of its wings. In fact, the sound comes from the vibration of its flight muscles. The bee can decouple those muscles from its wings, and so can make a buzzing sound without the wings moving at all.

13 Concave navel: INNIE

The navel is essentially the scar left behind when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby. One interesting use of the umbilicus (navel, belly button) is to differentiate between identical twins, especially when they are very young.

19 __ culpa: MEA

Many Roman Catholics are very familiar with the Latin phrase “mea culpa” meaning “my fault”, as it is used in the Latin Mass. The additional term “mea maxima culpa” translates as “my most grievous fault”.

25 __ David: CAMP

Camp David is the very lovely country retreat used by the US president and family. Technically, Camp David belongs to the US Navy and is known as Naval Support Facility Thurmont. The installation was originally built between 1935 and 1938 as a retreat for government agents and their families. President Franklin D. Roosevelt converted it to a presidential retreat in 1942, naming it Shangri-La. When President Eisenhower was in office he renamed Shangri-La to Camp David in honor of his father and grandson, both of whom were called David.

26 Apex predator in the ocean: ORCA

An apex predator is at the top of a food chain, and has no other natural predators. Examples are the orca (“killer whale”) in the oceans, the lion in Africa, and the Tyrannosaurus in the days of the dinosaurs.

28 Free speech advocacy gp.: ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War. It grew out of the National Civil Liberties Bureau (CLB) that was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

30 Music producer Gotti: IRV

Irv Gotti is a record producer, and the founder of the The Inc record label. Gotti was born Irving Lorenzo, and took the name Gotti after the Boss of the Gambino crime family.

36 Hit show letters: SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

38 “Pushing Daisies” actress Friel: ANNA

Anna Friel is an English actress who gained widespread recognition for her role as Beth Jordache in the British soap opera “Brookside,” where she was involved in the first pre-watershed, lesbian kiss on UK television. Friel has since starred in numerous TV series, including the American show “Pushing Daisies”, and the excellent British detective show “Marcella”.

“Pushing Daisies” is a comedy-drama series that originally aired from 2007 to 2009.The story follows Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring the dead back to life with a single touch. He uses his gift to help solve murders, but things get complicated when he resurrects his childhood sweetheart, Chuck.

41 Intl. crude cartel: OPEC

The OPEC cartel was formally established in 1960 and has been headquartered in Vienna since 1965. The US is one of the big three oil producers in the world (along with Russia and Saudi Arabia). One reason America isn’t in OPEC, even though we are a big producer, is that we import a lot more than we export. But we all probably knew that already …

44 Grafton’s “__ for Malice”: M IS

Sue Grafton wrote detective novels, and her “alphabet series” features the private investigator Kinsey Millhone. She started off with “’A’ Is for Alibi” in 1982 and worked her way up to “‘Y’ is for Yesterday” before she passed away in 2017.

57 Spanish folk hero: EL CID

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was known as El Cid Campeador, which translates as “The Champion” or perhaps “The Lord, Master of Military Arts”. El Cid was a soldier who fought under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Spain (among others). However, he was sent into exile by the King in 1080, after acting beyond his authorization in battle. El Cid then offered his services to his former foes, the Moorish kings, After a number of years building a reputation with the Moors, he was recalled from exile by Alfonso. By this time El Cid was very much his own man. Nominally under the orders of Alfonso, he led a combined army of Spanish and Moorish troops and took the city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast in 1094, making it his headquarters and home. He died in Valencia, quite peacefully, in 1099.

58 NPR host Flatow: IRA

Ira Flatow is a science journalist and broadcaster who is perhaps best known as the host of the popular public radio program “Science Friday”. Before “Science Friday”, Flatow hosted the Emmy Award-winning PBS show “Newton’s Apple”.

62 Bandleader Puente: TITO

After serving in the Navy in WWII for three years, musician Tito Puente studied at Juilliard, where he got a great grounding in conducting, orchestration and theory. Puente parlayed this education into a career in Latin jazz and mambo. He was known as “El Rey” as well as “The King of Latin Music”.

63 Imitation flakes in a clear globe: SNOW

It is believed that the first snow globes were introduced in France in the early 1800s. They were a development of glass paperweights that were already common, and were initially used to do the same job. Do you know who owns the biggest collection of snow globes in the world, over 8,000 of them? That would be the actor Corbin Bernsen of “LA Law” and “Psych” fame.

66 Guadalajara gold: ORO

Guadalajara is a populous city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The Mexican city is named after the city of the same name in the center of Spain.

67 Univ. near Harvard: MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was founded in 1861 and first offered classes in 1865, in the Mercantile building in Boston. Today’s magnificent campus on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge opened in 1916.

68 Univ. senior’s test: GRE

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