LA Times Crossword 2 Feb 24, Friday

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Constructed by: Amie Walker & Matthew Stock
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): No Running

Themed answers are interpretations of “NO RUNNING” in a context cited in each themed clue:

  • 55A “No running” on a pool deck : SLIPPERY WHEN WET
  • 3D “No running” to an incumbent : TERM-LIMITED
  • 11D “No running” at a cosmetics store : SMUDGE-PROOF
  • 25D With 26-Down, “No running” to a newspaper reporter : OFF THE …
  • 26D See 25-Down : … RECORD

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

Bill’s time: 7m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

16 Chicano poet Luis __ Salinas : OMAR

Luis Omar Salinas was a Mexican-American poet from Texas who has been cited as one of the founding fathers of Chicano poetry in the US. In his youth, Salinas dropped out of college. Towards the end of his life, he taught poetry at the very same school, California State University at Fresno.

17 World of Warcraft beast : OGRE

World of Warcraft is an online role-playing game (RPG). My son informs me that the game is not that great. Like I would know …

18 Zelle alternative : VENMO

Venmo is a smartphone payment app that is now owned by PayPal. The first version of the product was introduced in 2009 by two entrepreneurs who had met as freshman students at the University of Pennsylvania. They sold the company in 2012 for over $26 million, and then PayPal acquired it the following year for a whopping $800 million. I wonder if PayPal ever buys blogs …

19 Herding dog from Hungary : PULI

The puli is a small herding dog that is noted for its coat with tight curls that resemble dreadlocks. Pulik (the plural of “puli”) originated in Hungary.

20 Veinte, por ejemplo : NUMERO

In Spanish, “veinte, por ejemplo” (twenty, for example) is a “numero” (number).

22 Athena’s domain : WISDOM

The Greek goddess Athena (sometimes “Athene”) is often associated with wisdom, among other attributes. In many representations. Athena is depicted with an owl sitting on her head. It is this linkage of the owl with the goddess of wisdom that led to today’s perception of the owl as being “wise”. Athena’s Roman counterpart was Minerva.

24 Fast-food chain with Epic Burritos : DEL TACO

The Del Taco chain of fast food restaurants opened for business in 1964, with the first restaurant called “Casa Del Taco” located in Yermo, California. Del Taco serves American-style Mexican cuisine as well as the typical collection of hamburgers, fries and shakes.

26 Tips over one’s king, e.g. : RESIGNS

In the game of chess, a player who is in a hopeless situation usually chooses to resign. The player can signal that resignation by tipping over his or her king.

30 Dry __ : ICE

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2). The material’s main use is to preserve food and for cooling in general. It is also used in fog machines in theaters and haunted houses.

31 “Thus with a kiss I die” hero : ROMEO

In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, the last words uttered by Romeo are:

O true apothecary!
They drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.

Juliet’s last words are:

Yea, noise? then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.

33 TV watchers? : FCC

TV broadcasting is monitored by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC has been around since 1934, when it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

39 “Great blue” or “little blue” bird : HERON

Herons are birds with long legs that inhabit freshwater and coastal locales. Some herons are routinely referred to as egrets, and others as bitterns. Herons look a lot like storks and cranes, but differ in their appearance in flight. Herons fly with their necks retracted in an S-shape, whereas storks and cranes have their necks extended.

47 Part of JD : DOCTOR

The law degree that is abbreviated to “J.D.” stands for “Juris Doctor” or “Doctor of Jurisprudence”.

50 Fizzled out : DIED

To fizzle (and often “to fizzle out”) is to die out after a promising start. The contemporary use of “fizzle” evolved from a 16th-century usage meaning “break wind without noise”. Quite amusing …

54 Sizable plot : ACRE

At one time, an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. Then, an acre was more precisely defined as a strip of land “one furrow long” (i.e. one furlong) and one chain wide. The length of one furlong was equal to 10 chains, or 40 rods. An area of one furlong times 10 rods was one rood.

62 Small horse : PONY

The term “pony” is used to describe a small horse, especially one of a small breed. The term “foal” might also describe a small horse, but one that is small in size due to its young age.

66 Awards for “Abbott Elementary” : EMMYS

“Abbott Elementary” is a sitcom in the mockumentary genre. The show was created by and stars Quinta Brunson as a cup-half-full second-grade teacher in a Philadelphia public school. The premise of “Abbott Elementary” is that a film crew is making a documentary about the lives of teachers working in underfunded schools.

Down

1 Govt. security : T-BOND

A Treasury note (T-note) is a government debt that matures in 1-10 years. A T-note has a coupon (interest) payment made every six months. The T-note is purchased at a discount to face value, and at the date of maturity can be redeemed at that face value. A Treasury bill (T-bill) is a similar financial vehicle, but it matures in one year or less, and a T-bond matures in 20-30 years.

5 Chaos : HAVOC

Havoc is great damage or destruction. The term “havoc” comes from the Anglo-French phrase “crier havok”, which was an order given in the late 1500s to soldiers, instructing them to seize plunder.

6 Dad on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” : ABE

On the hit TV show “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, the title character’s father is Abe Weissman, a tenured math professor at Columbia University played by Tony Shalhoub. Abe leaves his post at Columbia to become a social activist, and eventually the theater critic for “The Village Voice”.

8 Pirate song spirit : RUM

The fictional sea shanty called “Dead Man’s Chest” was introduced in Robert Louis Stevenson’s great novel, “Treasure Island”. In the book, Stevenson only describes the chorus, which goes:

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest–
…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest–
…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

9 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.

10 Stick in the freezer? : POPSICLE

The term “ice pop” has largely been supplanted in the US by “popsicle”, as the Popsicle brand of ice pop became so popular. We still use “ice pop” in Ireland, and in the UK the same thing is called an “ice lolly”, and in Australia it’s an “ice block”.

21 Hazardous gas : RADON

The element radon (Rn) is a radioactive gas, and a byproduct produced when uranium decays naturally in the earth. Radon gas can collect and accumulate in buildings and rooms that are particularly well insulated with very little air exchange. The danger is very real, as radon is listed as the second most frequent cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoke.

23 “Da 5 Bloods” actor Whitlock Jr. : ISIAH

Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is perhaps best known for playing state senator Clay Davis on the hit TV show “The Wire”. Whitlock picked up a colorful catchphrase from his character on “The Wire”, as the actor used his rich, deep voice to the full pronouncing a mild expletive as “sheeeeeeeee-it”. 🙂

“Da 5 Bloods” is a 2020 Spike Lee film about four aging veterans of the Vietnam War who go back to Vietnam. Their mission is to find the remains of their fallen squad leader, and to find a stash of gold bars they hid during the conflict. I haven’t seen this one, but am putting it on “the list” …

31 Joplin work : RAG

Ragtime music was at the height of its popularity in the early 1900s. It takes its name from its characteristic “ragged” rhythms. The most famous ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who had a big hit with his “Maple Leaf Rag” when it was published in 1899. He followed that up with a string of hits, including the “Pine Apple Rag” (sic). Ragtime fell out of favor about 1917 when the public turned to jazz. It had a resurgence in the forties when jazz musicians started to include ragtime tunes in their repertoires. But it was the 1973 movie “The Sting” that brought the true revival, as the hit soundtrack included numerous ragtime tunes by Scott Joplin, including the celebrated “The Entertainer” originally published in 1902.

32 “The Great British Baking Show” appliance : OVEN

“The Great British Bake Off” (GBBO) is a television baking competition introduced by the BBC in the UK in 2010. The show was a phenomenal and perhaps surprising success almost immediately. “Bake Off” is rebroadcast in the US by PBS as “The Great British Baking Show”. There was great controversy in the UK in 2016 when the BBC couldn’t find the fund to pay the producers for the show, and so it had moved to a new channel, with a new set of hosts. The BBC hosts decided not to move with the show, saying they weren’t interested in the “dough” (their pun!).

42 Tally marks : NOTCHES

Back in the mid-1600s, a tally was a stick marked with notches that tracked how much one owed or paid. The term “tally” came from the Latin “talea” meaning “stick, rod”. The act of “scoring” the stick with notches gave rise to our word “score” for the number in a tally.

53 Formal : PROM

A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

56 __ Gatos, California : LOS

The town of Los Gatos is in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. The town’s name translates from Spanish to “the Cats” and comes from the old name for the area “Cat’s Corner”. That name is a reference to the cougars that roamed the foothills in which the town is located.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Body art : TATS
5 Split __ : HAIRS
10 Soft “C’mere!” : PSST!
14 Begin to form : BREW
15 Re : ABOUT
16 Chicano poet Luis __ Salinas : OMAR
17 World of Warcraft beast : OGRE
18 Zelle alternative : VENMO
19 Herding dog from Hungary : PULI
20 Veinte, por ejemplo : NUMERO
22 Athena’s domain : WISDOM
24 Fast-food chain with Epic Burritos : DEL TACO
26 Tips over one’s king, e.g. : RESIGNS
27 “__ be my pleasure” : IT’D
28 Usage charge : FEE
30 Dry __ : ICE
31 “Thus with a kiss I die” hero : ROMEO
33 TV watchers? : FCC
34 Beta preceder : ALPHA
37 Bird-related : AVIAN
38 Howe’er : THO’
39 “Great blue” or “little blue” bird : HERON
40 Obtain : GET
41 Free of wool : SHORN
43 Not available at the moment : OUT
44 Seasoned vet’s opposite : NEWBIE
47 Part of JD : DOCTOR
50 Fizzled out : DIED
51 Playing surface : TURF
52 Ooze : SEEP
54 Sizable plot : ACRE
55 “No running” on a pool deck : SLIPPERY WHEN WET
62 Small horse : PONY
63 “Now __ talking!” : YOU’RE
64 Line graph display : DATA
65 Look for answers : ASK
66 Awards for “Abbott Elementary” : EMMYS
67 Break : GAP

Down

1 Govt. security : T-BOND
2 Go back and forth : ARGUE
3 “No running” to an incumbent : TERM-LIMITED
4 Lemonade alternative : SWEET TEA
5 Chaos : HAVOC
6 Dad on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” : ABE
7 + or – particle : ION
8 Pirate song spirit : RUM
9 Madeleine of “Revenge” : STOWE
10 Stick in the freezer? : POPSICLE
11 “No running” at a cosmetics store : SMUDGE-PROOF
12 Place where one might leave tips for tips : SALON
13 Cuts back : TRIMS
21 Hazardous gas : RADON
23 “Da 5 Bloods” actor Whitlock Jr. : ISIAH
25 With 26-Down, “No running” to a newspaper reporter : OFF THE …
26 See 25-Down : … RECORD
29 Helpful Amazon gadget : ECHO
31 Joplin work : RAG
32 “The Great British Baking Show” appliance : OVEN
35 3,600 seconds : HOUR
36 Crumb-collecting insect : ANT
41 Skeptical look : SIDE-EYE
42 Tally marks : NOTCHES
45 Thin and wavy : WISPY
46 [Time’s up!] : [BEEP!]
48 Remedy : CURE
49 Line graph display : TREND
53 Formal : PROM
54 Off course : AWRY
55 Escape room? : SPA
56 __ Gatos, California : LOS
57 Body art : INK
58 “Delish!” : YUM!
59 Tail movement : WAG
60 “We’ll get there then” approx. : ETA
61 Water source : TAP