LA Times Crossword 15 Apr 26, Wednesday

Advertisement

Constructed by: Hoang-Kim Vu

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: EGOT

Happy Tax Day! Themed answers all include a kind of TAX, but in the RETURN direction:

• 35A April 15 filing, or what can be found in each set of circled letters in this puzzle : TAX RETURN

• 17A Tries something earnestly : HAS A GO AT IT (GAS tax)
• 25A Uploads again, say : RESUBMITS (USE tax)
• 49A “That’s so typical” : IT FIGURES (GIFT tax)
• 58A “Just enjoy this victory” : A WIN IS A WIN (SIN tax)

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

Bill’s time: 6m 30s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14A Pump or clog : SHOE

A pump is a woman’s shoe that doesn’t have a strap. Such shoes are probably called “pumps” because of the sound they make while walking in them.

Clogs are shoes made from wood, at least in part. The clog originated as a protective item of footwear for use by farm, factory and mine workers.

15A Comic actor Cheri : OTERI

Cheri Oteri is an actress and comedian who is best known for her work on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). Before she became a famous comedian, she worked as a cocktail waitress at the comedy club The Improv, where she was inspired to pursue a career in comedy.

16A “Field of Dreams” locale : IOWA

“Field of Dreams” is a fantasy drama about baseball, released in 1989 and starring Kevin Costner. The movie is an adaptation of a 1982 novel titled “Shoeless Joe” by Canadian author W. P. Kinsella. Shoeless Joe Jackson was a real baseball player, and someone associated with the Black Sox Scandal that allegedly affected the outcome of the 1919 World Series. Jackson was portrayed by Ray Liotta in the movie. “Field of Dreams” was also the last film in which Burt Lancaster made an appearance. The baseball field that was built for the movie can be visited in Dubuque County, Iowa.

20A Plumbing fitting under a sink : P-TRAP

Most sinks in a home have a P-trap in the outlet pipe that empties into the sewer line. This P-trap has at its heart a U-bend that retains a small amount of water after the sink is emptied. This plug of water serves as a seal to prevent sewer gases entering into the home. By virtue of its design, the U-bend can also capture any heavy objects (like an item of jewelry) that might fall through the plughole. But the “trapping” of fallen objects is secondary to the P-trap’s main function of “trapping” sewer gases.

21A Two-time Oscar nominee Rooney : MARA

Actress Rooney Mara is noted for her role in the 2010 film “The Social Network” and for playing the title character in the 2011 hit movie “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Mara has American football in her blood. Her mother’s family founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, and her father’s family founded the New York Giants.

23A Singer Yoko : ONO

John Lennon and Yoko Ono married at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969. The couple decided to use the inevitable publicity surrounding their wedding and honeymoon to promote peace in the world. They honeymooned in the Presidential Suite of the Amsterdam Hilton, inviting the world’s press to join them and to witness their “bed-in”. They spent the week talking about peace, and an end to war. The marriage and bed-in is chronicled by the Beatles in their song “The Ballad of John and Yoko”. A few weeks after the marriage, Lennon adopted the additional middle name “Ono” by deed poll.

24A Some spa treatments : PEELS

A chemical peel is a technique used to improve the look and feel of the skin. It involves using a chemical to deliberately injure the outermost layer of the skin. The damaged skin dies and peels off, revealing regenerated skin below.

27A Afro-Caribbean sound : CALYPSO

The musical style known as calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but there seems to be some debate about which influences were most important as the genre developed. It is generally agreed that the music was imported by African slaves from their homeland, but others emphasize influences of the medieval French troubadours. To me it sounds more African in nature. Calypso reached the masses when it was first recorded in 1912, and it spread around the world in the thirties and forties. It reached its pinnacle with the release of the famous “Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte.

29A Soda brand named for a mountain : SHASTA

The soft drink company Shasta Beverages started off bottling mineral water from Shasta Springs in Northern California back in 1889. The water was originally shipped in railroad cars that were lined with glass. Costly transportation, I’d say …

30A Fishy, in slang : SUS

The slang term “sus” is a shortened form of “suspicious” or “suspect”.

31A Grains that might be rolled : OATS

Oat cereals all start out as “groats”, toasted oat grains with the hull still intact:

• Steel-cut oats, sometimes called “Irish oats”, are groats that have been chopped into chunks about the size of sesame seeds.
• Stone-ground oats, sometimes called “Scottish oats”, have been ground into smaller pieces, about the size of poppy seeds.
• Old-fashioned rolled oats are made by first steaming the toasted groats, and then rolling them into flakes.
• Quick-cooking oats are similar to rolled oats, but thinner flakes.
• Instant oats have been chopped, rolled, pre-cooked, dehydrated and often have salt and sugar added.

35A April 15 filing, or what can be found in each set of circled letters in this puzzle : TAX RETURN

April 15th wasn’t always Tax Day in the US. The deadline for returns was March 1st from 1913-18, when it was moved to March 15th. Tax Day has been April 15th since 1955.

40A Salty septet : SEAS

The phrase “the seven seas” has been used for centuries by many different peoples. The actual definition of what constitutes the collection of seven has varied depending on the period and the culture. Nowadays we consider the seven largest bodies of water as the seven seas, namely:

• The North Pacific Ocean
• The South Pacific Ocean
• The North Atlantic Ocean
• The South Atlantic Ocean
• The Indian Ocean
• The Southern Ocean
• The Arctic Ocean

44A Like a well-earned comeuppance : KARMIC

Karma is a religious concept with its basis in Indian faiths. Karma embraces the notion of cause and effect. Good deeds have good consequences at some later point in one’s life, one’s future life, or one’s afterlife. And, bad deeds have bad consequences.

53A Avril follower : … MAI

In French, the month of “mai” (May) comes after “avril” (April) and before “juin” (June).

58A “Just enjoy this victory” : A WIN IS A WIN (SIN tax)

A sin tax is a levy placed on goods that are considered to be harmful. Examples might be taxes placed specifically on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, sweetened beverages, fast food and gambling. Sin taxes are imposed to discourage use. The related Pigovian tax is imposed to offset the cost to society of using the “sinful” goods or services.

62A Ariz. neighbor : CALIF

Most of the Arizona-California state line is defined by the winding path of the Colorado River, a boundary established when Arizona became a US territory in 1863. The river has shifted its course over the decades, but the official border remains in the middle of the main channel as it existed during the original surveys.

64A __ facto : IPSO

“Ipso facto” is Latin, a phrase meaning “by the fact itself”. It describes something that is a direct consequence of a particular act, as opposed to something that is the result of some subsequent event. For example, my father was born in Dublin and was an Irish citizen, ipso facto. My son was born in California and is an Irish citizen by virtue of being the son of an Irish citizen (i.e. “not” ipso facto).

66A Best Picture winner set in Iran : ARGO

“Argo” is a 2012 movie that is based on the true story of the rescue of six diplomats hiding out during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The film was directed by and stars Ben Affleck and is produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney, the same pair who produced the excellent “Good Night, and Good Luck”. I highly recommend “Argo”, although I found the scenes of religious fervor to be very frightening …

Down

1D Barbecue detritus : ASH

Detritus is loose material that results from the process of erosion. The usage of the term has evolved to describe any accumulated material or debris. “Detritus” is Latin for “a wearing away”.

2D Béret, par exemple : CHAPEAU

In French, on one’s “tête” (head), one might wear “un chapeau” (a hat) or “un béret” (a beret), perhaps.

5D Roller coaster section : LOOP

When a body moves at a steady speed along a circular path, the force that keeps the body in that circular path (rather than a straight line) is the centripetal force. For example, if we’re on a roller coaster doing a loop, the force that keeps the coaster moving in a circular direction, preventing it from flying off in a straight line, is centripetal force. The opposing force that we riders feel while looping on the coaster is centrifugal force, the force that we feel pinning us to our seats.

6D Winner of four FIFA World Cups, for short : ITA

Italy’s national football team became the world’s first back-to-back FIFA World Cup champions with victories in 1934 and 1938. The next tournament was in 1950, years after the end of WWII. For over a decade, the Jules Rimet (World Cup) Trophy was in the hands of Italian sports official Ottorino Barassi. At the height of the war, he kept it in a shoebox under his bed, hidden from Nazi troops in Italy.

8D Met highlights : ARIAS

The Metropolitan Opera (often simply “the Met”) of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …

9D Satsuma, e.g. : CITRUS

The lovely citrus fruit known in the west as a satsuma is so called because it was first imported from the former Japanese province called Satsuma. The fruit is also known as a “Christmas orange” in the UK, as tradition dictates that satsumas are served as a treat around the holidays in Britain.

10D Certain truffle hunter : PIG

Truffles are rooted out by pigs, or by specially trained dogs. The reason why pigs, especially sows, are so attracted to truffles is that there is a chemical compound found within the truffle that is very similar to androstenol, a sex pheromone found in the saliva of boars.

13D Appetizer at an Indian restaurant : SAMOSA

A samosa is quite the tasty appetizer. It is usually a triangular-shaped savory that often has a vegetarian filling. The word “samosa” is primarily used on Indian menus, and the name comes from “sanbosag”, the name for the dish in Persia.

24D Dells, e.g. : PCS

Computer manufacturer Dell is named for the company’s founder Michael Dell. Dell started his company in his dorm room at college, shipping personal computers that were customized to the specific needs of his customers. He dropped out of school in order to focus on his growing business, a decision that I doubt he regrets. Michael Dell is now one of the richest people in the world.

26D “Ferrari” director Michael : MANN

Not only is Michael Mann a film director, but he also produced the Academy Awards ceremony twice, in 1999 and 2004.

“Ferrari” is a 2023 biopic that is based on the 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine” by Brock Yates. Adam Driver (pun?!) plays Enzo, and Penélope Cruz, his estranged wife Laura Ferrari.

28D Rivals of the Yanks : SOX

The Boston Red Sox are one of the most successful Major League Baseball teams and so command a large attendance, but only when on the road. The relatively small capacity of Boston’s Fenway Park, the team’s home since 1912, has dictated that every game the Red Sox have played there has been a sell-out from May of 2003 to April 2013. I had the pleasure of touring Fenway Park some years ago. It’s quite a place …

35D Roman of “Basketball Wives” : TAMI

Reality TV personality Tami Roman née Akbar became famous for her appearances on MTV’s “The Real World: Los Angeles”. She followed up with a lead role on VH1’s “Basketball Wives”, as she was married to NBA player Kenny Anderson.

37D Mil. morale booster : USO

The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

39D Image-shaping cos. : PR FIRMS

Public relations (PR)

41D Conflict that may feature proxy battles : COLD WAR

The term “Cold War” was popularized by novelist George Orwell in a 1945 essay about the atomic bomb. Orwell described a world under threat of nuclear war as having a “peace that is no peace”, in a permanent state of “cold war”. The specific use of “cold war” to describe the tension between the Eastern bloc and the Western allies is attributed to a 1947 speech by Bernard Baruch, adviser to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Our word “proxy”, meaning “the agency of one who acts instead of another”, comes from the Latin “procurare” meaning “to manage”. So, “proxy” has the same root as our word “procure”.

44D Bibimbap topping : KIMCHI

Kimchi is a traditional dish from Korea. It is made from fermented vegetables, and is pretty strong stuff …

The name of the Korean dish bibimbap translates literally as “mixed rice”, with “bibim” meaning “mixed ingredients” and “bap” meaning “rice”. Generally, the dish comes as a bowl of white rice topped with sautéed vegetables flavored with chili pepper paste. Variants often include a fried egg and sliced beef.

45D John or Joan of “High Fidelity” : CUSACK

John Cusack is an actor from Evanston, Illinois. John is noted for appearing in several films with his equally-talented actress sister, Joan Cusack. I think the John Cusack film that I most enjoy is 1997’s “Grosse Pointe Blank”.

Joan Cusack is a wonderful actress, I think, although she always seems to be cast in supporting roles. She is the sister of actor John Cusack, and has appeared with him in many films including “Sixteen Candles” and my personal favorite, “Grosse Pointe Blank”.

“High Fidelity” is a 2000 comedy-drama film starring John Cusack. The movie is based on a novel of the same name by English novelist Nick Hornby (who also wrote the books that inspired the movies “About a Boy” and “Fever Pitch”).

50D Atkinson of “Mr. Bean” : ROWAN

Rowan Atkinson is an English comedian and actor who is most famous for playing the title role in the comedy shows “Mr. Bean” and “Blackadder”. In the world of movies, Atkinson had memorable supporting performances (in my opinion) in the Bond film “Never Say Never Again”, and in the romcoms “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Love Actually”. A very talented man …

57D Astrological cat : LEO

Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac. People born from July 23 to August 22 are Leos. According to Greek mythology, the constellation Leo represented the Nemean Lion, a beast with impenetrable fur that served as the first of the Twelve Labors of Heracles.

60D WWF, e.g. : NGO

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was founded in 1961. Its mission is …

… to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.