LA Times Crossword 8 Mar 23, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Beth Rubin & Will Nediger
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Spilled Milk

Today’s grid includes FIVE types of MILK (in circled letters) that have “SPILLED”, fall off from left to right:

  • 56A Metaphor for something that can’t be changed, and what’s found five times in this puzzle? : SPILLED MILK

Those MILKS are:

  1. RICE milk
  2. OAT milk
  3. ALMOND milk
  4. COCONUT milk
  5. SOY milk

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

Bill’s time: 6m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Skin blemish : WART

A wart is a small eruption on the skin caused by a localized viral infection. Apparently, the most successful treatment is topical use of salicylic acid, with a cure rate of 75%. I think it’s best to try to avoid getting them …

14 Slurpee-like drinks : ICEES

Carbonated slushy drinks available at 7-Eleven are sold under the brand name “Slurpee”. National Free Slurpee Day is July 11th every year, so put that on your calendar …

16 Astronaut Jemison : MAE

Mae Jemison was a crew member on the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a 1992 mission, and as such became the first African-American woman to travel in space. She is also a big fan of “Star Trek” and appeared on an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. That made Jemison the first real astronaut to appear on any of the “Star Trek” shows.

19 Body shop fig. : EST

Estimate (est.)

20 __ Lanka : SRI

The island nation of Sri Lanka lies off the southeast coast of India. The name “Sri Lanka” translates from Sanskrit into English as “venerable island”. Before 1970, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon, a name given to the country during British rule.

24 Milan opera house : LA SCALA

La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater its Italian name “Teatro alla Scala”. Because of bomb damage in WWII, La Scala had to be rebuilt, and reopened in 1946.

26 Pull up stakes for one’s co. : RELO

“To pull up stakes“ is to move, to change one’s residence perhaps. The term originated in America with the first settlers from England. The original immigrants built palisades around their settlements for protection, driving stakes into the ground. When it was time to move, the settlers would take their palisades with them, pulling up stakes and loading them on carts for travel.

30 Starbucks size : TALL

Starbucks introduced us to coffee drinks in a whole range of volumes:

  • Demi … 3 fl oz
  • Short … 8 fl oz
  • Tall … 12 fl oz
  • Grande … 16 fl oz (Italian for “large”)
  • Venti … 20 fl oz (Italian for “twenty”)
  • Trenta … 30 fl oz (Italian for “thirty”)

34 Fuel economy meas. : MPG

Miles per gallon (mpg)

35 Tropical storm : CYCLONE

A severe tropical storm is called a hurricane when it occurs in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, a typhoon in the Northwest Pacific, and a cyclone in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. Tropical storms form over warm water, picking up energy from the evaporation from the ocean surface.

40 See red? : OWE

To be in the red is to be in debt, to owe money. The expression “in the red” is a reference to the accounting practice of recording debts and losses in red ink in ledgers. The related phrase “in the black” means “solvent, making a profit”.

44 British noble : EARL

In Britain, there are five ranks of peers. They are duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron, in descending order.

45 “Saving Private Ryan” event : D-DAY

The Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 took place along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The worst fighting by far took place on Omaha Beach, a sector assigned to the US Army that was transported by elements of the US Navy and the Royal Navy.

“Saving Private Ryan” is an epic 1998 movie directed by Steven Spielberg, and a real “must see”. The D-Day invasion scenes were shot over a two-month period on the southeast coast of Ireland. The scenes involved more than 1,500 extras, many of whom were members of the Irish Defense Forces.

52 April 15 payment : TAX

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.

55 Original Beatle Sutcliffe : STU

Stu Sutcliffe was one of the original four members of The Silver Beatles (as The Beatles were known in their early days), along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Sutcliffe apparently came up with the name “Beatles” along with John Lennon, as a homage to their hero Buddy Holly who was backed by the “Crickets”. By all reports, Sutcliffe wasn’t a very talented musician and was more interested in painting. He went with the group to Hamburg, more than once, but he eventually left the Beatles and went back to art school, actually studying for a while at the Hamburg College of Art. In 1962 in Hamburg, Sutcliffe collapsed with blinding headaches. He died in the ambulance on the way to hospital, his death attributed to cerebral paralysis.

59 Keystone figure : KOP

The Keystone Cops (sometimes “Keystone Kops”) were a band of madcap policemen who appeared in silent movies. A 1914 short film called “A Thief Catcher” that was believed lost was rediscovered in 2010. “A Thief Catcher” featured the magnificent Charlie Chaplin in an early role as a Keystone Cop.

60 Lofty nest : AERIE

An aerie (sometimes “eyrie”) is an eagle’s nest, and a young eagle is an eaglet.The term “aerie” can also more generally describe any bird’s nest that is located on a cliff or a mountaintop.

61 Shrub that may be toxic : SUMAC

Poison sumac is a nasty plant (from a human perspective). Also known as thunderwood, it produces the resin urushiol that irritates human skin. Inhaling the smoke from burning poison sumac can irritate the lining of the lungs causing pain, and maybe even death.

63 Saxophone insert : REED

Saxophones are made of brass, but they also have some features in common with woodwind instruments, such as the use of a reed to create sound. Because of that reed, the “sax” is classified not as a brass instrument, but as a woodwind.

Down

1 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.

2 Caboose : REAR

The word “caboose” originally came from Middle Dutch and was the word for a ship’s galley. When the last car in a train in North America was given a stove for the comfort of the crew, it took on the name “caboose”. The term has also become slang for a person’s backside.

3 Virtual assistant on Apple devices : SIRI

Siri was originally developed as a standalone app by a startup company of the same name. Apple acquired the company in 2010 and integrated the technology into their operating system.

4 Goblinlike fantasy creature : ORC

According to Tolkien, Orcs are small humanoids that live in his fantasy world of Middle-earth (also called “Mordor”). They are very ugly and dirty, and are fond of eating human flesh.

5 South Dakota national park known for its air currents : WIND CAVE

Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota was the first cave to be designated as a national park, anywhere in the world. The cave is one of the longest in the world, with about 120 miles of explored passageway. It’s “getting bigger” all the time, with about four new miles of cave being explored and mapped each year.

8 “Ooo La La La” singer __ Marie : TEENA

Teena Marie was a very successful R&B singer who was born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California. She had several good celebrity friends, and so was godmother to Maya Rudolph (daughter of Minnie Ripperton) and Nona Gaye (daughter of Marvin Gaye).

9 Brunch dish : OMELET

Our word “brunch” is a portmanteau of “breakfast” and “lunch”. The term was coined as student slang in Oxford, England in the late 1890s. However, “brunch” described a combined meal closer to the breakfast hour, and the term “blunch” was used for a meal closer to lunchtime.

10 Stands in a studio : EASELS

The word “easel” comes from an old Dutch word meaning “donkey”, would you believe? The idea is that an easel carries its load (an oil painting, say) just as a donkey would be made to carry a load.

13 “__ Butter Baby”: Ari Lennox/J. Cole song : SHEA

“Shea Butter Baby” is a 2018 song recorded by Ari Lennox and J. Cole. It was used initially for the soundtrack of the “Rocky” movie “Creed II”, The following year, the song was used as the title track for Lennox’s debut studio album.

27 Public health agcy. : CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …

28 Poet Mina or actress Myrna : LOY

Mina Loy was a poet, visual artist, and writer who was a pioneer of feminist poetry. In her work, she explored themes of female sexuality, motherhood, and the experiences of women in a male-dominated society. She was also one of the first poets to use the word “feminist” in her writing.

The beautiful Myrna Loy was one of my favorite actresses. Her career took off when she was paired up with William Powell in the fabulous “The Thin Man” series of films. Loy also appeared opposite Cary Grant in a couple of films that I like to watch every so often, namely “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer” (1947) and “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” (1948).

29 Chapel Hill sch. : UNC

The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill started enrolling students way back in 1795, making it the first public university in the country to open its door to students.

34 Fred Flintstone’s boss : MR SLATE

In “The Flintstone” animated TV show, Fred Flintstone operates a bronto-crane at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company, which is owned by Fred’s boss Mr. Slate.

38 Horvath of “The Rings of Power” : EMA

Ema Horvath is an American actress who is multilingual and can speak four languages fluently: English, Hungarian, French, and Spanish. She was born to a Hungarian mother and a French-American father and grew up in the United States, where she learned English as her first language. She also spent time in Hungary and France, where she became fluent in Hungarian and French respectively. Additionally, she studied Spanish in school and has since become proficient in the language as well.

39 Marina del __, California : REY

Marina del Rey is a coastal community in California located within the borders of the City of Los Angeles. Marina del Rey is home to the world’s largest harbor for small craft, with a capacity for 5,300 boats.

41 Bar code? : LAW

The legal profession is referred to as “the bar”. The term arose in medieval times when European courtrooms were divided into two with “barring” furniture, basically a wooden rail that separated the public from the participants in the trial.

46 Secretaries, e.g. : DESKS

A secretary is an antique form of desk, one with drawers in a base, a hinged writing surface and a bookcase on top.

47 __ Peninsula: Michigan home of Yoopers : UPPER

Michigan is the only US state that comprises two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula is mitten-shaped, and it is separated from the Upper Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac. My wife is from the “U.P”, and is proud to call herself a Yooper (from the “UP”).

50 Pretoria’s land: Abbr. : RSA

Pretoria is the executive capital of South Africa (RSA), and one of three capital cities in the country. Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.

53 Mathematician Turing : ALAN

Alan Turing was an English mathematician. He was well-respected for his code-breaking work during WWII at Bletchley Park in England. However, despite his contributions to cracking the German Enigma code and other crucial work, Turing was prosecuted for homosexuality in 1952. He agreed to chemical castration, treatment with female hormones, and then two years later he committed suicide by taking cyanide. Turing’s life story is told in the 2014 film “The Imitation Game” with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the lead. I thoroughly enjoyed that film …

54 Randall Munroe’s webcomic of “romance, sarcasm, math, and language” : XKCD

XKCD is a webcomic created by Randall Munroe that was launched in 2005. The title is not actually an acronym or abbreviation for anything. Munroe has stated that he simply chose the letters “XKCD” because they sounded cool and were easy to remember. XKCD frequently incorporates scientific and mathematical concepts into its humor, as Munroe has a degree in physics.

57 Two truths and a __: icebreaker game : LIE

“Two truths and a lie” is an ice-breaking exercise in which participants make three statements about themselves, two of which are true, and one of which is a lie. The idea is for the other participants to identify the lie.

58 Autumn flower, for short : MUM

Chrysanthemums are perennial flowering plants that are often called “mums”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Roughly : OR SO
5 Skin blemish : WART
9 Poetic contraction : O’ER
12 Inheritance recipients : HEIRS
14 Slurpee-like drinks : ICEES
16 Astronaut Jemison : MAE
17 Parade with strict precision : MARCH IN STEP
19 Body shop fig. : EST
20 __ Lanka : SRI
21 Conclusion : END
22 One providing misguided support : ENABLER
24 Milan opera house : LA SCALA
26 Pull up stakes for one’s co. : RELO
27 Hint : CLUE
30 Starbucks size : TALL
31 Gains a lap : SITS
32 “Stay right there!” : DON’T MOVE!
34 Fuel economy meas. : MPG
35 Tropical storm : CYCLONE
36 More inclusive : BROADER
40 See red? : OWE
41 Sorting factor in some directories : LAST NAME
42 Blessing : BOON
44 British noble : EARL
45 “Saving Private Ryan” event : D-DAY
46 Medical pros : DOCS
47 Opens, as a gift : UNWRAPS
49 Sound bite, e.g. : EXCERPT
51 Sked info : ETA
52 April 15 payment : TAX
55 Original Beatle Sutcliffe : STU
56 Metaphor for something that can’t be changed, and what’s found five times in this puzzle? : SPILLED MILK
59 Keystone figure : KOP
60 Lofty nest : AERIE
61 Shrub that may be toxic : SUMAC
62 Informer, maybe : SPY
63 Saxophone insert : REED
64 Repair : MEND

Down

1 Electrical units : OHMS
2 Caboose : REAR
3 Virtual assistant on Apple devices : SIRI
4 Goblinlike fantasy creature : ORC
5 South Dakota national park known for its air currents : WIND CAVE
6 Rm. coolers : ACS
7 Share again, as a joke : RETELL
8 “Ooo La La La” singer __ Marie : TEENA
9 Brunch dish : OMELET
10 Stands in a studio : EASELS
11 Nostalgia-inducing : RETRO
13 “__ Butter Baby”: Ari Lennox/J. Cole song : SHEA
15 Hydrotherapy spot : SPA
18 Not negotiable : IN STONE
23 Bandits : BRIGANDS
24 Live it up : LET LOOSE
25 Pub choice : ALE
27 Public health agcy. : CDC
28 Poet Mina or actress Myrna : LOY
29 Chapel Hill sch. : UNC
31 Ad : SPOT
33 Like freshly cut lawns : MOWN
34 Fred Flintstone’s boss : MR SLATE
36 Raced (along) : BARRELED
37 Family man : DAD
38 Horvath of “The Rings of Power” : EMA
39 Marina del __, California : REY
41 Bar code? : LAW
42 Cereal eater’s proof of purchase : BOX TOP
43 Keep busy : OCCUPY
44 Unabridged : ENTIRE
46 Secretaries, e.g. : DESKS
47 __ Peninsula: Michigan home of Yoopers : UPPER
48 Cushions : PADS
50 Pretoria’s land: Abbr. : RSA
52 Umpire’s cry : TIME!
53 Mathematician Turing : ALAN
54 Randall Munroe’s webcomic of “romance, sarcasm, math, and language” : XKCD
57 Two truths and a __: icebreaker game : LIE
58 Autumn flower, for short : MUM