LA Times Crossword 16 Mar 26, Monday

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Constructed by: Erica Hsiung Wojcik

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: It’s a Me Thing

Themed answers are all two-word phrases starting with “ME”:

• 64A “I’m quirky like that,” or, when parsed differently, what can be said of 17-, 30-, and 48-Across : IT’S A ME THING

• 17A Test whose results may be posted in MyChart : MEDICAL EXAM
• 30A Current stretch of human history : MODERN ERA
• 48A Boxing night highlight : MAIN EVENT

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

Bill’s time: 5m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Artist’s numbered work : 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 …

5A Given as a gift : GRATIS

Something provided gratis is supplied free of charge. “Gratis” is a Latin term, a contraction of “gratiis” meaning “for thanks”.

11A Forearm-to-forehead dance move : DAB

The dab dance move originated in the Atlanta hip-hop scene around 2014-2015. It involves dropping the head into the bent crook of one arm while extending the opposite arm straight out to the side. The final pose is often compared to the motion of someone sneezing into their elbow.

14A Goose sound : HONK

A male goose is called a gander, with the female simply being referred to as a goose. Young geese are called goslings.

16A Parisian’s “yes” : OUI

The French capital of Paris is named for the Parisii, a Celtic Iron-Age people that lived in the area on the banks of the River Seine.

17A Test whose results may be posted in MyChart : MEDICAL EXAM

If you use a digital gateway to message your doctor, view test results, or manage appointments, then chances are that you are using MyChart by Epic Systems, or some version of the same healthcare software. Apparently, over half of all patients in the US have their medical histories managed through this interface. Epic Systems is a private company headquartered in Verona, Wisconsin. The medical practice that I frequent uses a version of MyChart, and I am a big fan …

19A Banquet coffeepot : URN

A banquet is an elaborate feast. “Banquet” is a term that seems to have reversed in meaning over time. Coming into English via French from Old Italian, “banquet” is derived from “banco” meaning “bench”. The original “banco” meal was simply a snack eaten on a bench, rather than at a table. I guess we eat more these days …

30A Current stretch of human history : MODERN ERA

The Modern Era is a historical period typically defined as beginning with the dawn of the Renaissance in the 15th century, which signaled a shift from medieval tradition toward global integration. The Modern Era is often subdivided into the “Early Modern” period, marked by the invention of the printing press and the Reformation, and the “Late Modern” period, driven by the Industrial Revolution.

37A Midsize stringed instruments : VIOLAS

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.

40A “Wild” actress Witherspoon : REESE

Author Cheryl Strayed has written several successful books, most notably her 2012 memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail”. “Wild” was adapted into a 2014 film starring Reese Witherspoon as Strayed. I haven’t seen the film yet, but my wife has and really enjoyed it …

52A Home of the Ninja Turtles : SEWER

The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” started out as a parody of comic book superheroes, first appearing in a self-published comic book in 1984. A couple of years later the characters were picked up by someone who built a whole line of toys around the characters, and then television and movies followed. Do you remember the names of all four of the Turtles? Their names were all taken from Renaissance artists:

• Leonardo
• Raphael
• Michelangelo
• Donatello

Down

1D Electrical units : OHMS

The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied (V=IR), a relationship that every school kid knows as Ohm’s Law.

2D Pulitzer winner Jericho Brown, for one : POET

Poet and author Jericho Brown is perhaps best known for inventing the “duplex”, a poetic form that fuses older forms such as the sonnet, the blues, and the ghazel (an Arabic lyric poem).

6D Theologian’s subj. : REL

Theology is the study of religious faith. The term comes from the Greek “theos” meaning “god” and “-logos” meaning “treating of”.

8D Rolled up to the jetway : TAXIED

A jet bridge or jetway is a movable corridor that provides passengers the luxury of boarding an aircraft without braving the wind and rain. The first such connector was installed in 1958, at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Lockheed developed that particular jet bridge, and back then called it an “Aero-Gangplank”.

10D Orchestral performance: Abbr. : SYM

Symphony (sym.)

18D __ and desist : CEASE

“Cease” and “desist” are very similar, but not identical terms. An order to cease an activity is an order to “stop”. An order to desist is an order not to do that activity again in the future.

27D Sweeping tool : BROOM

The sweeping implement known as a “broom” used to be called a “besom”. A besom was made from a bundle of twigs tied to a stouter pole. The favored source for the twigs came from thorny shrubs from the genus Genista. The common term for many species of Genista is “broom”. Over time, “broom besoms” came to be known simply as “brooms”.

28D Fashion designer Karan : DONNA

Donna Karan is an American fashion designer, creator of the Donna Karan New York (DKNY) clothing label. Karan was very much raised in the fashion industry, as her mother was a model and her stepfather a tailor.

39D Tendon : 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”.

46D Divination deck : TAROT

Tarot cards originated in 15th-century Italy, not as a mystical tool, but as playing cards for a game similar to bridge. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that they became widely associated with divination, particularly after French occultists began publishing treatises on their symbolic meanings.

Divination is the practice of interpreting omens or symbols to predict the future. The term “divination” originates from the Latin “divinare” meaning “to foretell” or “to be inspired by a god.” Diviners use a variety of techniques, including astrology, tarot reading, numerology (finding meaning in numbers), and practices like reading tea leaves.

51D “__ Weapon”: buddy cop film franchise : LETHAL

The “Lethal Weapon” series of films features Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the lead roles as Sergeants Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. All four films in the series were directed by Richard Donner.

58D With 68-Across, Silicon Valley city : PALO …
[68A See 58-Down : … ALTO]

The city of Palo Alto, California takes its name from a specific redwood tree called El Palo Alto (Spanish for “the tall stick”) that is located within the bounds of the city. The tree is 110 feet tall and over a thousand years old.

The Santa Clara Valley, located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, is better known as “Silicon Valley”. The term “Silicon Valley” dates back to 1971 when it was apparently first used in a weekly trade newspaper called “Electronic News” in articles written by journalist Don Hoefler.

61D “Do __ others … ” : UNTO

The Golden Rule is also known as the ethic of reciprocity, and is a basis for the concept of human rights. A version of the rule used in the Christian tradition is attributed to Jesus:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

A derivative phrase often heard today is “Love thy neighbor (as thyself)”.