LA Times Crossword 13 Mar 26, Friday

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Constructed by: Tracy Gray

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Side Job

Themed answers are on all four SIDES of the grid, and each is a JOB:

• 1A Undergarment brand : JOCKEY
• 7A Single-story home : RANCHER
• 65A One who is a real sport : TROOPER
• 66A “Heaven Can Wait” Oscar nominee Jack : WARDEN
• 1D 2017 AL Rookie of the Year : JUDGE
• 13D Enc. or dict. : REF
• 29D Representation built to scale : MODEL
• 33D Test episode : PILOT
• 52D Perry of classic TV : MASON
• 57D Confirm the credentials of, say : VET

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

Bill’s time: 10m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Undergarment brand : JOCKEY

Jockey is a manufacturer of underwear and sleepwear that was founded in 1876 as a hosiery business in St. Joseph, Michigan called Coopers. In 1935, Coopers came out with the world’s first briefs for men, incorporating a Y-shaped overlapping fly. Touting the support offered by the briefs, they were branded with the name “Jockey”. Coopers adopted the Jockey name for the company in 1971.

17A Fresca, for one : DIET POP

Fresca is a Coca-Cola product introduced in 1966 that is marketed as a zero-calorie grapefruit drink, and so is artificially sweetened.

19A Extra product : GUM

Extra is a sugar-free chewing gum that was launched in 1984 by the Wrigley Company. It was the first sugarfree gum to avoid saccharin, opting instead for aspartame (NutraSweet).

20A Some surfers : WAHINES

“Wahine” is a word meaning “woman”, in both Hawaiian and Maori.

22A Collaborate on Microsoft Teams, say : E-MEET

Microsoft Teams is a videoconferencing application that competes directly with the like of Google Meet and Zoom. One feature of Teams that I quite like is “Together Mode”, which places meeting participants together in a shared virtual space like a 3-D meeting room, or an auditorium if there are numerous participants. To me, this is a more “normal” interface, and preferable to a grid of boxes.

25A “The Man Who Fell to Earth” director Nicolas : ROEG

Nicolas Roeg is a film director from England with quite the pedigree when it comes to association with great movies. He contributed to 1962’s “Lawrence of Arabia”, and he himself directed noted films like “Walkabout” (1972), “Don’t Look Now” (1973) and “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976).

The 1976 British film “The Man Who Fell to Earth” is perhaps most famous for its star, David Bowie. The movie was directed by Nicolas Roeg, and is based on a 1963 novel of the same name written by Walter Tevis.

30A Big to-do : RUCKUS

The word “ruckus” is used to mean “commotion”, and has been around since the late 1800s. “Ruckus” is possibly a melding of the words “ruction” and “rumpus”.

32A 1990s fitness fad : TAE BO

Tae Bo isn’t an ancient martial art, even though it perhaps sounds like one. The discipline was developed as a form of aerobic exercise in the 1990s by taekwondo expert Billy Blanks who gave it the name Tae Bo, a melding of “taekwondo” and “boxing”.

33A High-performance German cars : PORSCHES

We tend to say the name “Porsche” in English as if it is perhaps French, pronouncing it as one syllable. In German, it is pronounced with two syllables, i.e. Por-sche.

37A Brewpub fave : IPA

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

40A Beth Ann Fennelly’s “__ to Butter” : ODE

Author Beth Ann Fennelly served as the Poet Laureate of Mississippi from 2016 to 2021. Her husband, Tom Franklin, is also an author. The couple co-wrote the novel “The Titled World”, published in 2013.

41A “Grumpy Old Men” actor : LEMMON

The marvelous actor Jack Lemmon was born in 1925 in a suburb of Boston, in a hospital elevator. The long list of Jack Lemmon movies on my list of favorites includes “Some Like It Hot”, “The Apartment”, “Irma La Douce”, “The Odd Couple” and “Grumpy Old Men”.

“Grumpy Old Men” is a wonderful romantic comedy film from 1993 starring the great actors Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Ann-Margret along with an excellent supporting cast. “Grumpy Old Men” was the sixth on-screen collaboration between Lemmon and Matthau, but the first in over a decade.

43A Spot for horsing around? : CAROUSEL

The merry-go-round amusement park ride can be a little confusing as one travels the world. In North America, we tend to use the term “carousel” for the ride, whereas it’s a “roundabout” in Britain and Ireland, and a “hurdy-gurdy” in Australia. Yet another difference is the direction of rotation. Carousels typically rotate counterclockwise in North America, and roundabouts rotate clockwise in Britain and Ireland.

45A Film production company named for a constellation : ORION

Orion Pictures is a film studio that was relaunched in 2014, after having operated originally from 1978 to 1999. Orion is a relatively small studio, but has produced four Best Picture Oscar winners:

• Amadeus (1984)
• Platoon (1986)
• Dances with Wolves (1990)
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations, named after the hunter in Greek mythology. Its most prominent feature is “Orion’s Belt”, a distinctive grouping of three bright stars: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka.

46A Actress Suzanne : SOMERS

Suzanne Somers was an actress whose big break came playing the ditzy Chrissy Snow on the sitcom “Three’s Company”. When contracts came up for renewal for the cast in the fifth season, the relationship between Somers and the producers soured rapidly. Somers went on a strike of sorts and for most of the fifth season made only token appearances in the show in scenes that were filmed without other members of the regular cast. The Chrissy Snow character was replaced in the sixth season.

53A Tops of most org charts : C-SUITES

The C-suite is the suite of offices assigned to senior management. The “C” reference is to the abbreviation for “Chief”, the word that starts the titles of many senior officers in a company, e.g. chief executive officer (CEO), chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO).

56A __ salt : SEA

The lobbyists have done their shameful job when it comes to the labeling of “sea salt”. In the US, sea salt doesn’t even have to come from the sea. The argument is that all salt came from the sea if you look back far enough. The politics of food; don’t get me started …

63A Paragon : EPITOME

The more common meaning of “epitome” is “perfect example of a group, quality, type”. An epitome is also an abstract or summary of a book or article.

A paragon is a model of excellence, a peerless example. Ultimately the term “paragon” derives from the Greek “para-” meaning “on the side” and “akone” meaning “whetstone”. This derivation comes from the ancient practice of using a touchstone to test gold for its level of purity by drawing a line on the stone with the gold and comparing the resulting mark with samples of known purity.

66A “Heaven Can Wait” Oscar nominee Jack : WARDEN

Actor Jack Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter Jr. His first “stage name” was Johnny Costello, which he used as a professional boxer. He then served in the US Navy for three years, and in the US Army with the famous 101st Airborne during WWII. Warden shattered his leg while practicing night-time jumping in England, in preparation for D-Day. As a result, he spent eight months in hospital, during which time he read a Clifford Odets play, decided to become an actor, and then studied acting on the GI Bill when he returned stateside. As an actor, Warden’s greatest accolades were Oscar nominations as a supporting actor in “Shampoo” (1975) and “Heaven Can Wait” (1978).

The 1978 comedy “Heaven Can Wait” starring Warren Beatty was the second film adaptation of the stage play of the same name by Harry Segall. The first big screen adaptation was 1941’s “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” with Robert Montgomery heading the cast. There was a third movie adaption called “Down to Earth”, released in 2001 with Chris Rock playing the lead.

Down

1D 2017 AL Rookie of the Year : JUDGE

Aaron Judge is a baseball outfielder who was selected as 2017’s American League Rookie of the Year. Judge is a big guy. He weighs 282 pounds, and is 6 foot 7 inches tall. Judge set the American League single-season home run record in 2022 with 62 home runs, surpassing Roger Maris’s 61 from 1961.

2D Yves Saint Laurent perfume : OPIUM

The Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) perfume named “Opium” was introduced in 1977. Opium caused quite a stir when it first hit the stores, as many interpreted the use of the term “opium” as an endorsement of drug usage.

3D __ anglaise : CREME

Crème anglaise (“English cream”) is a pourable custard from French cuisine. As the name suggests, the recipe was inspired by pouring custards used in 19th-century British cuisine. A British recipe imported into French cuisine? Gracious me …

7D Concern after an animal bite : RABIES

“Rabies” is actually the Latin word for “madness”. The name is a good choice for the viral disease, as once the virus spreads to the brain the infected person or animal exhibits very tortured and bizarre behavior including hydrophobia, a fear of water. The virus is passed on to humans most often through a bite from an infected dog. It is curable if it is caught in time, basically before symptoms develop. Once the virus passes up the peripheral nervous system to the spine and the brain, there isn’t much that can be done. We can also use the derivative term “rabid” figuratively, to mean extremely violent, to have extreme views.

9D African flower? : NILE

Depending on definition, the Nile is regarded generally as the longest river on the planet. The Nile forms from two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which join together near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. From Khartoum the Nile flows north, traveling almost entirely through desert making it central to life for those living along its length.

10D Former name of a med. imaging tool : CAT SCAN

A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two-dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays. High doses of radiation can be harmful, causing damage that is cumulative over time. The initialism “CT” stands for “computed tomography”. The older initialism “CAT” stands for “computed axial tomography”.

11D “Task” network : HBO

“Task” is a crime-drama TV series created and written by Brad Ingelsby, who also created and wrote the excellent miniseries “Mare of Easttown”. “Task” stars Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent “tasked” with leading a specialized unit targeting a string of high-stakes robberies. It’s pretty gritty stuff, but I enjoyed it …

12D Rivendell resident : ELF

Rivendell is a location occupied by Elves in Middle-earth, the fictional realm created by novelist J. R. R. Tolkien.

24D City near Saguaro National Park : TUCSON

Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona (after Phoenix). The founding father of the city was Hugh O’Conor, yet another Irishman, but one who was raised in Spain. O’Conor was a mercenary working for Spain when he authorized the construction of a military fort called Presidio San Augustín del Tucsón in 1775, which eventually grew into the city that we know today. The Spanish name “Tucsón” comes from the local name “Cuk Ṣon”, which translates as “(at the) base of the black (hill)”.

The saguaro is a beautiful cactus, one that is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. Arizona is proud of its saguaros, featuring them prominently on its license plates. If you ever get a chance to visit the Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona, I thoroughly recommend it.

31D Viola holder : CHIN

The viola looks like and is played like a violin, but is slightly larger. It is referred to as the middle voice in the violin family, lying between the violin and the cello.

32D Fife-and-drum drums : TABORS

A tabor is a portable snare drum that is played with one hand. It is usually suspended by a strap from one arm, with the other hand free to beat the drum. The tabor is often played as an accompaniment for a fife or other small flutes. The word “tabor” comes from “tabwrdd”, the Welsh word for “drum”.

34D Palais Garnier performance : OPERA

The Paris Opera company is currently housed in the beautifully ornate Palais Garnier. The Paris Opera was founded by Louis XIV in 1669, and the Palais Garnier is the 13th theater to house the company and has done so since 1875.

42D Sweet Italian wine : MOSCATO

Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. It is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine. Moscato d’Asti is produced from the same grape (Moscato Bianco). Moscato is a much sweeter wine with a lower alcohol content, and is usually served as a dessert wine.

46D Biter of Miles Morales : SPIDER

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is an animated superhero film released in 2018 that won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The animation style of the movie is called “comic book come to life.” The filmmakers wanted to create a movie that felt like a living, breathing comic book, and they achieved that by incorporating comic book elements like thought bubbles and sound effects into the animation.

51D Marsh plant used for papyrus : SEDGE

Sedges are a family of plants that resemble grasses and rushes. They are more properly called Cyperaceae.

The papyrus plant was commonly found in the Nile Delta of North Africa. The pith of the plant was used to make a thick paper-like material on which one could write. This writing material, which became known as papyrus (plural “papyri”), became a competitor for the most popular writing surface of the day known as parchment, which was made from animal skins.

52D Perry of classic TV : MASON

The iconic legal drama TV series “Perry Mason” originally ran from 1957 to 1966, with Raymond Burr in the title role. Mason was the creation of author Erle Stanley Gardner, and many of the TV episodes are based on one of the many stories penned by Gardner. The very recognizable theme music for the show was composed by Fred Steiner, and is titled “Park Avenue Beat”.

57D Confirm the credentials of, say : VET

The verb “to vet” comes from the term “veterinarian”. The idea is that to vet something is to subject it to careful examination, like a veterinarian checking out an animal.

58D APR : APR

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)

59D AFL partner : CIO

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 1935, 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.