LA Times Crossword 22 Feb 24, Thursday

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Constructed by: Amanda Cook & Kelly Richardson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Kitchen Recyclables

Themed answers are items found in a kitchen, but reinterpreted to match the corresponding clues:

  • 18A Reporters who cover the multiple-recalls beat? : LEMON PRESS
  • 23A Championship match for competitive waitstaff? : SERVING BOWL
  • 35A Party where sparks really fly? : ELECTRIC MIXER
  • 51A Zero-star review that goes fully scorched earth? : ROASTING PAN
  • 57A Professional purveyor of gossip? : TEA PITCHER

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

Bill’s time: 7m 12s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Octopus octet : ARMS

The term “octopus” comes from the Greek for “eight-footed”. The most common plural used is “octopuses”, although the Greek plural form “octopodes” is also quite correct. The plural “octopi” isn’t really correct as the inference is that “octopus” is like a second-declension Latin noun, which it isn’t. That said, dictionaries are now citing “octopi” as an acceptable plural. Language does evolve, even though it drives me crazy …

14 Potting soil base : PEAT

Peat moss is actually sphagnum moss that has partially decayed and dried. The term “peat” moss is used as sphagnum moss is often found in “peat” bogs. Sphagnum moss has the ability to store large quantities of water, so the dried form is used by gardeners to condition soil, i.e. to increase the soil’s capacity to retain moisture.

16 Opera star Callas : MARIA

Although Maria Callas was born in New York City, she was educated in music in Greece and launched her career in Italy. Her marvelous performances earned her the nickname “La Davina”, and she was described by Leonard Bernstein as “the Bible of opera …”

17 Anti-cruelty org. : PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a large animal rights organization, with about 300 employees and two million members and supporters worldwide. Although the group campaigns for animal rights across a broad spectrum of issues, it has a stated focus in opposition of four practices:

  • Factory farming
  • Fur farming
  • Animal testing
  • Use of animals in entertainment

18 Reporters who cover the multiple-recalls beat? : LEMON PRESS

Long before we associated the term “lemon” with a defective car, it was used to describe defective items in general.

20 Country star Haggard : MERLE

Merle Haggard was a country singer and songwriter whose most famous recording has to be “Okie from Muskogee” released in 1969. Haggard would tell you that the song was actually meant as a spoof, but it has become a country “anthem”.

26 “Breaking Bad” law org. : DEA

Hank Schrader is a DEA agent in the hit TV show “Breaking Bad”. Portrayed by actor Dean Norris, Schrader is the brother-in-law of Walter White, the protagonist in the story. The twist is that Hank is chasing down a notorious meth “cook”, and he doesn’t realize that his quarry is his own brother-in-law Walter.

27 Flounder and Scuttle’s friend : ARIEL

In the 1989 Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid”, the title character is given the name “Ariel”. In the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen that dates back to 1836, the Little Mermaid is given no name at all. There is a famous statue of the unnamed Little Mermaid sitting in Copenhagen Harbor, in Andersen’s homeland of Denmark.

29 Beanie Babies, Tamagotchi, etc. : FADS

There were originally just nine Beanie Babies when Ty Warner introduced the stuffed animal in 1993. In the late nineties the toy became a real fad, largely due to innovative marketing techniques. For example, there was no mass marketing with constant TV ads, and the production volume was limited pushing the line into the realm of collectibles. Beanie Baby models were also “retired” on a regular basis, fueling a “must have” behavior in the market.

Tamagotchis are hand-held digital pets from Japan. They come housed in tiny egg-shaped computers, usually with a three-button interface. The Tamagotchis can be named, get hungry, and can be happy or sad. Care is provided by the owner using the interface buttons. The name “Tamagotchi” comes from the Japanese word “tamago” meaning “egg”, melded with the English word “watch”.

30 The Masters gp. : PGA

Golf’s Masters Tournament is the first of the four major championships in the annual calendar, taking place in the first week of April each year. It is played at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, and has a number of traditions. One is that the winner is awarded the famous “green jacket”, but he only gets to keep it for a year and must return it to the club after twelve months.

33 “Knives Out” actress de Armas : ANA

Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. Thre, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.

“Knives Out” is an intriguing murder mystery film released in 2019. There’s a great cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer. I really enjoyed this one, partly because it’s a clever, contemporary take on a classic whodunit movie …

40 General on a Chinese takeout menu : TSO

General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, and a dish often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

44 Blanchett of “Thor: Ragnarok” : CATE

Cate Blanchett is a great actress from Australia, and a winner of an Academy Award for playing Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator”. Winning for that role made Blanchett the first person to win an Academy Award for playing an actor (Hepburn) who had also won an Oscar. Now that is trivial information …

“Thor: Ragnarok” is a 2017 superhero film in the “Thor” series. Not my cup of tea …

47 __ 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”.

48 Soaring apex predator : EAGLE

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.

50 Actress Longoria : EVA

Eagles have extraordinary eyesight that is several times stronger than that enjoyed by humans. The average eagle weighs about ten pounds, and yet has eyes that are about the same size as human eyes.

57 Professional purveyor of gossip? : TEA PITCHER

“Tea” is a slang term used mainly in social media to denote “gossip”.

63 Hindu festival : HOLI

Holi is a Hindu festival, one celebrated in spring, that is also known as the Festival of Colours.

65 Nickels and dimes : COINS

The 5-cent American coin known as a nickel is actually made up of 75% copper and 25% nickel. The first nickel was introduced in 1866, and was named the Shield nickel due to the shield design on the front of the coin. The current design is the Jefferson nickel, which was introduced in 1938.

The term “dime”, used for a 10-cent coin, comes from the Old French word “disme” meaning “tenth part”.

67 Mushroom part : STEM

A mushroom isn’t a complete living organism per se but rather is one part of a fungus, and is the fruiting body that is responsible for distributing reproductive spores. The mushroom generally has three main components: the stipe (or “stem”), the pileus (or “cap”) and the lamellae (or “gills”) under the cap which distribute the spores.

Down

4 Treat a fever, per dubious folk wisdom : STARVE

The adage “feed a cold, starve a fever” dates back to ancient times. Back then, it was thought that fever was the disease, rather than a symptom. So, starving the patient would starve the disease.

5 “Grey’s Anatomy” executive producer Debbie : ALLEN

Debbie Allen is an actress, dancer and choreographer who is best known for playing dance teacher Lydia Grant on the great TV show “Fame” in the 1980s. Allen is the younger sister of actress Phylicia Rashad, who played Calir Huxtable on the sitcom “The Cosby Show”.

The very successful hospital drama “Grey’s Anatomy” has been on television since 2005. The title is a reference to the show’s central character, Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo), as well as a reference to the classic human anatomy textbook commonly called “Gray’s Anatomy”.

6 “Sprechen __ Deutsch?” : SIE

“Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” is German for “Do you speak German?”

7 Blight-stricken tree species : ELM

Dutch elm disease is a fungus devastating to all species of elm trees that is transmitted by the elm bark beetle. The disease is thought to have originated in Asia and is now rampant in Europe and North America. Even though there is a hybrid of elm known as the Dutch elm, the disease isn’t named after the tree. Rather, the disease is called “Dutch” as it was identified in 1921 by a phytopathologist (plant pathologist) in the Netherlands.

10 Penalize in soccer : CARD

A series of colored penalty cards is used by referees and umpires in several sports, most notably in soccer. The cards were first used in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, after language difficulties created confusion during the prior competition in 1966. The main cards used are a yellow card indicating a caution, and a red card indicating expulsion from the game.

11 Tater Tots maker : ORE-IDA

Ore-Ida’s founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

12 Hoodwinked : MISLED

“To hoodwink” has had the meaning “to deceive” since about 1600. Prior to that it meant simply “to blindfold”, and is simply a combination of the words “hood” and “wink”.

21 Purple blossoms : LILACS

The ornamental flowering plant known as lilac is native to the Balkans, and is a member of the olive family. The name “lilac” comes from the Persian word “lilaq,” which means “flower.”

25 Dress design options : BODICES

A bodice is the upper part of a dress. In earlier times, a bodice was a corset or stays. Strangely enough, “bodice” was a variant of “bodies”, the plural of “body”. In the 16th century, a “body” was a two-part corset that fastened in the middle.

29 Once-common office fixture : FAX

A facsimile is a copy. The term comes from the Latin phrase “fac simile” meaning “make similar”, with “fac” being the imperative form of “facere”, to make. The term “fax” (as in “fax machine”) is an abbreviated form of “facsimile”.

32 Classic Pontiac : GTO

The Pontiac GTO was produced by GM from 1964 to 1974, and again by a GM subsidiary in Australia from 2004 to 2006. The original GTO’s design is credited to Pontiac chief engineer at the time John DeLorean, who later founded the DeLorean Motor Company.

33 Bordeaux buddy : AMI

Bordeaux is perhaps the wine-production capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. After the Germans took France, the capital was famously moved to Vichy.

34 __ Creed: church recitation : NICENE

What is known today in the Christian tradition as the Nicene Creed, was originally adopted by the first ecumenical council when it met in 325 AD. The meeting took place in the city of Nicaea, which gave its name to this particular profession of faith. Nicaea is the Greek name of the city that is now called Iznik, and it lies in the northwest of Turkey.

36 Avignon summer : ETE

Avignon is a city in the southeast of France on the Rhône river. It is sometimes called the “City of Popes” as it was home to seven popes during the Catholic schism from 1309 to 1423.

38 Parmigiana choice : EGGPLANT

Parmigiana (familiarly “parm”) is a dish from southern Italy. The original parmigiana was made with an eggplant filling, with cheese and tomato layers and then baked. Versions originating outside of Italy have replaced the eggplant with breaded cutlets of chicken or veal.

39 Second cousin, e.g. : RELATIVE

In the most general terms, a cousin is anyone with whom one shares a common ancestor. Cousins in one’s immediate family are called by a more direct term (father, brother, uncle etc.). Two cousins are pinpointed in a family tree by using “degree” and “removal” to describe the relationship. For example, first cousins (first-degree cousins) share a common grandparent, and second cousins share a common great-grandparent, and so on up the tree. If the two cousins share the same common ancestor but there is a generational difference, then the “removal” term is used. So, if you share as a common ancestor your great-grandparent with one of your cousins, that person is your second cousin, unless that cousin is of a different generation in which case the number of generations “removed” is also specified. If that person regards your great-grandfather as his/her great-great grandfather, then you are still second cousins but more specifically are second cousins once removed (i.e. one generation removed). I explained this very badly …

43 Big __ Conference : TEN

The Big Ten is the nation’s oldest Division I college athletic conference. It was founded in 1896, and earned the name “Big Nine” in 1899 when Iowa and Indiana joined to bring the number of teams in the conference to nine. The conference name was changed to the Big Ten after Michigan rejoined in 1917. Right after WWII, the University of Chicago dropped out so the conference became known as the Big Nine again until 1949. The official designation of “Big Ten” was adopted in 1987 when the conference (once again with a complement of ten teams) registered as a not-for-profit corporation. It was decided to keep the official name of Big Ten when Penn State joined in 1990 bringing the number of schools to the level of eleven. The number of schools in the conference continues to evolve, but that “Big Ten” moniker persists.

44 Like the Irish language : CELTIC

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.

45 Maker of Positively Radiant skin care products : AVEENO

Aveeno is a manufacturer of skincare and haircare products that was founded in 1945. The name Aveeno comes from the Latin name for the common oat, i.e. Avena sativa.

46 Japanese food prep method that translates to “pounded” : TATAKI

Uncooked fish can be prepared tataki style in Japanese cuisine. The fish is chopped and mixed with garnishes. The term “tataki” translates as “pounded, hit into pieces”.

47 Green tea ice cream ingredient : MATCHA

Matcha is a powder made by grinding dried, green tea leaves. The selected tea bushes are heavily shaded for several weeks prior to harvest, which stimulates the production of chlorophyll resulting in darker green leaves. Matcha is used in East Asian cuisines to prepare tea for drinking, and also as an ingredient in dishes such as ice cream, cakes and sushi rolls.

49 Mezcal plants : AGAVES

Mezcal (also “mescal”) is a distilled spirit made from the agave plant. Technically, tequila is a type of mezcal that is distilled specifically from the blue agave.

52 Nondairy milk : OAT

Oat milk is one of the alternatives to cow’s milk, and is lactose free. I’m a huge fan …

53 Elba of “Thor: Ragnarok” : IDRIS

Idris Elba is a British actor and DJ. He was born in London to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother. Elba’s breakthrough role came in 2002, when he was cast as Stringer Bell in the HBO series “The Wire”.

59 Tetris shape : ELL

Tetris is a very addictive video game that was developed in the Soviet Union in 1984. The name Tetris comes from a melding of the prefix “tetra-” (as all the game pieces have four segments) and “tennis” (a favorite sport played by the developer). Since 2005 there have been more than 100 million copies of the game installed on cell phones alone.

61 Queens team, in box scores : NYM

The New York Mets (NYM) baseball team was founded in 1962 as a replacement for two teams that the city had lost, namely the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. For several years the Mets played very poorly, finishing no better than second-to-last in their division. Then along came the “Miracle Mets” (aka “Amazin’ Mets”) who beat the Baltimore Orioles in 1969 to claim the World Series in a huge upset.

Queens is the largest borough in New York City, and is today coterminous with Queens County. Queens is an amazingly diverse location in terms of ethnicity. There is a population of over 2 million people, with almost 50% of that population being foreign-born. Apparently there are over 130 native languages spoken in the area. Queens was named for Catherine of Braganza (from Portugal), Queen consort of King Charles II of England.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Octopus octet : ARMS
5 Unmoored : ASEA
9 “Ready or not, here __!” : I COME
14 Potting soil base : PEAT
15 Melodious cadence : LILT
16 Opera star Callas : MARIA
17 Anti-cruelty org. : PETA
18 Reporters who cover the multiple-recalls beat? : LEMON PRESS
20 Country star Haggard : MERLE
22 In a clingy way : NEEDILY
23 Championship match for competitive waitstaff? : SERVING BOWL
26 “Breaking Bad” law org. : DEA
27 Flounder and Scuttle’s friend : ARIEL
28 “Yikes” : OOF
29 Beanie Babies, Tamagotchi, etc. : FADS
30 The Masters gp. : PGA
31 Kept in a barrel : AGED
33 “Knives Out” actress de Armas : ANA
35 Party where sparks really fly? : ELECTRIC MIXER
40 General on a Chinese takeout menu : TSO
41 Stylish : CHIC
42 Understand : GET
44 Blanchett of “Thor: Ragnarok” : CATE
47 __ culpa : MEA
48 Soaring apex predator : EAGLE
50 Actress Longoria : EVA
51 Zero-star review that goes fully scorched earth? : ROASTING PAN
54 “Dinner!” : LETS EAT!
56 Meted (out) : DEALT
57 Professional purveyor of gossip? : TEA PITCHER
60 Conceited : VAIN
62 Finalize, as a comic strip : INK IN
63 Hindu festival : HOLI
64 Desire : ENVY
65 Nickels and dimes : COINS
66 Bookbinder’s tools : AWLS
67 Mushroom part : STEM

Down

1 Oft-shared restaurant order, informally : APP
2 Surface again : REEMERGE
3 Relevant : MATERIAL
4 Treat a fever, per dubious folk wisdom : STARVE
5 “Grey’s Anatomy” executive producer Debbie : ALLEN
6 “Sprechen __ Deutsch?” : SIE
7 Blight-stricken tree species : ELM
8 Many, many : A TON OF
9 Urge : IMPEL
10 Penalize in soccer : CARD
11 Tater Tots maker : ORE-IDA
12 Hoodwinked : MISLED
13 GPA-boosting classes : EASY AS
19 Fresh : NEW
21 Purple blossoms : LILACS
23 Tree product : SAP
24 Movie trailer? : -GOER
25 Dress design options : BODICES
29 Once-common office fixture : FAX
32 Classic Pontiac : GTO
33 Bordeaux buddy : AMI
34 __ Creed: church recitation : NICENE
36 Avignon summer : ETE
37 Catch up, maybe : CHAT
38 Parmigiana choice : EGGPLANT
39 Second cousin, e.g. : RELATIVE
43 Big __ Conference : TEN
44 Like the Irish language : CELTIC
45 Maker of Positively Radiant skin care products : AVEENO
46 Japanese food prep method that translates to “pounded” : TATAKI
47 Green tea ice cream ingredient : MATCHA
49 Mezcal plants : AGAVES
51 Harness straps : REINS
52 Nondairy milk : OAT
53 Elba of “Thor: Ragnarok” : IDRIS
55 Rotate : SPIN
58 “No matter __ you slice it … ” : HOW
59 Tetris shape : ELL
61 Queens team, in box scores : NYM