LA Times Crossword 28 Mar 24, Thursday

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Constructed by: Emma Lawson & Amie Walker
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Bad Moon Rising

Themed answers are in the down-direction. Each includes a BAD (anagrammed) “MOON” RISING, hidden within:

  • 10D Creedence Clearwater Revival hit with the line “I see trouble on the way,” or what can be found in three long Down entries : BAD MOON RISING
  • 8D Return correspondence? : RANSOM NOTE
  • 18D Bella Hadid and Precious Lee, for two : FASHION MODELS
  • 28D Key information for a hotel guest? : ROOM NUMBER

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

Bill’s time: 8m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4 Garment that may be draped in the nivi style : SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

8 Buyer’s incentive : REBATE

We mostly use “rebate” as a noun, one describing a return part of a payment. The term “rebate” came into English from the French verb “rebattre” meaning “to beat down, drive back”. Makes sense to me …

14 Hoopla : ADO

The word “hoopla” means “boisterous excitement”. The term probably comes from “houp-là”, something the French say instead of “upsy-daisy”. Then again, “upsy-daisy” probably isn’t something said very often here in the US …

15 Jeff Bridges sci-fi franchise : TRON

Jeff Bridges has acting in his blood, as the son of Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges, and younger brother of Beau Bridges. Jeff and Beau used to appear occasionally with their father in the TV show “Sea Hunt” in the late fifties and early sixties. Jeff’s breakthrough role came with the 1971 film “The Last Picture Show”, for which he was nominated for an Oscar (at only 22 years of age). He had to wait until he was 60 years old to win an Oscar though, for his performance in 2009’s “Crazy Heart”. Off the screen, Jeff Bridges is an accomplished photographer. I have a fine book of photographs that he shot on and off film sets over the years …

Jeff Bridges has acting in his blood, as the son of Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges, and younger brother of Beau Bridges. Jeff and Beau used to appear occasionally with their father in the TV show “Sea Hunt” in the late fifties and early sixties. Jeff’s breakthrough role came with the 1971 film “The Last Picture Show”, for which he was nominated for an Oscar (at only 22 years of age). He had to wait until he was 60 years old to win an Oscar though, for his performance in 2009’s “Crazy Heart”. Off the screen, Jeff Bridges is an accomplished photographer. I have a fine book of photographs that he shot on and off film sets over the years …

16 Toyota sedan since 1994 : AVALON

The Avalon is a large sedan that has been produced by Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky since 1994. “Avalon” was the name of an island featured in Arthurian legend, the place where the sword Excalibur was forged.

21 __ de deux : PAS

In the world of ballet, a pas de deux is a duet in which the dancers dance together. A classic pas de deux has a particular structure. It starts with a short entree followed by an adagio and two variations, one for each dancer, and ends with a short coda. The term “pas de deux” is French for “step for two”, or I suppose “dance for two”.

23 Physics quantity : MASS

The mass of an object differs from its weight. Mass measures the amount of matter present in the object, while its weight is the force exerted on the object by gravity. So, the mass of an object is the same on Earth as it is on the Moon. On the Moon, the same object weighs 16.5% of what it does on Earth.

32 Final Four game : SEMI

In the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship, the teams remaining at various stages of the tournament are known as:

  • The “Sweet Sixteen” (the regional semi-finalists)
  • The “Elite Eight” (the regional finalists)
  • The “Final Four” (the national semi-finalists)

35 Yahoo : OAF

Yahoos are brutish creatures introduced by Irish author Jonathan Swift in “Gulliver’s Travels”. Their savage, slovenly ways gave rise to the use of “yahoo” in English to describe a lout or neanderthal.

42 Like a dragon egg in Minecraft : RARE

Minecraft is a video game that was released in 2011. It is the most popular video game of all time, with well over 200 million units sold.

43 Jackman’s “The Greatest Showman” role : BARNUM

Phineas Taylor “PT” Barnum was one of the great American showmen, and was famous for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. By some measures, Barnum was the first ever “show business” millionaire. Beyond the world of entertainment, Barnum was also a politician for a while and served two terms in the Connecticut legislature, and was mayor of the city of Bridgeport. Barnum was a very successful author as well. One of his most famous books was “The Humbugs of the World”, an exposé of deceptions in the world of entertainment. He was a believer in illusions, providing they gave value for money in terms of entertainment. However, Barnum had an intense dislike of fraudulent deception and came down hard on spiritualist mediums in particular.

Australian actor Hugh Jackman is most famous perhaps for his recurring role as Wolverine in the “X-Men” series of films, but as I don’t really “do” superhero movies, I like him best from the romantic comedy “Kate & Leopold” and the epic “Australia”. Jackman also garnered praise for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables”.

“The Greatest Showman” is a 2017 musical film about the life of PT Barnum, co-creator of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Hugh Jackman plays the title character. Barnum & Bailey ceased operations just seven months before the movie premiered. The circus resumed operations five years later, but without any animal acts.

47 Siete días : SEMANA

In Spanish, the “número de días en una semana” (number of days in a week) is “siete” (siete).

49 Centipede’s multitude : LEGS

Centipedes and millipedes are multi-legged arthropods. Centipedes can have varying numbers of legs, from about 30 to about 350 depending on species. Millipedes have segmented bodies with two pairs of legs in each segment. Millipedes have about 80 to 750 legs, again depending on species.

51 Body of work : OEUVRE

The sum of an artist’s work in his or her lifetime is known as his or her “oeuvre”.

57 Chatted privately, briefly : DM’ED

Direct message (DM)

62 Electric guitar effect : REVERB

When audio mixing in the process of sound recording, the sound engineer might add some reverb, a slight reverberation.

66 Audrey Tautou role : AMELIE

“Amélie” is a 2001 French film, a romantic comedy about a shy waitress in Montmartre, Paris played by Audrey Tautou (who also played the female lead in “The Da Vinci Code”). The movie was originally released under the French title, “Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain” (“The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain”).

French actress Audrey Tautou is perhaps most famous in North America for playing the title role in 2001’s “Amélie”, and the female lead in 2006’s “The Da Vinci Code”. In 2009, Tuatou replaced Nicole Kidman as spokesmodel for Chanel No. 5.

68 Vox populi, vox __ : DEI

“Vox populi, vox Dei” is a Latin expression that translates as, “The voice of the people, the voice of God”, meaning “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.

69 Flexor counterpart : TENSOR

A tensor muscle is one that tightens or stretches a part of the body.

71 Parka part : ARM

A parka is a hooded jacket that is often lined with fur, and that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment, and it was absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.

Down

1 Vatican-related : PAPAL

Vatican City is a sovereign city-state that is walled off within the city of Rome. Vatican City is about 110 acres in area, and so is the smallest independent state in the world. With about 800 residents, it is also the smallest state in terms of population. Although the Holy See dates back to early Christianity, Vatican City only came into being in 1929. At that time, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini signed a treaty with the Holy See on behalf of the Kingdom of Italy that established the city-state.

2 “I Drink Wine” singer : ADELE

“I Drink Wine” is a 2022 song co-written and recorded by Adele. The accompanying music video bears out the song’s title, as it features Adele floating down a river while drinking a glass of white wine.

3 Sandwich on a bolillo : TORTA

A bolillo is a savory bread from Mexico and Central America that resembles a short baguette. It is the bread normally used to make tortas and molletes, sandwiches found in Mexican cuisine.

4 Typical opening? : STEREO-

Back in the late 1700s, a stereotype was a method of printing using a plate. About 50 years later, a stereotype was an image reproduced without change. The current meaning of “oversimplified view of characteristics of a group or person” appeared in the early 1920s.

5 Story shapes : ARCS

A story arc is a continuing storyline in say a television show that runs through a number of episodes. Story arcs are also found in comics, books, video games, and other forms of media.

7 What a mood board might provide, informally : INSPO

A mood board is a collage of objects and images assembled on a surface for the purpose of inspiring perhaps a design or a goal.

9 Former Bolivian president Morales : EVO

Evo Morales has been President of Bolivia since 2006. Morales has a socialist agenda, and as such his government is a close ally to the regimes in Venezuela and in Cuba.

Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America that is bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Argentina. The land now occupied by Bolivia was originally part of the Inca Empire. The country declared independence from Spain in 1809, which led to 16 years of war. When the Republic was finally named, “Bolivia” was chosen in honor of Venezuelan-born revolutionary leader, Simón Bolívar.

10 Creedence Clearwater Revival hit with the line “I see trouble on the way,” or what can be found in three long Down entries : BAD MOON RISING

“Bad Moon Rising” is a song recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Written by band member John Fogerty, the song was inspired by the composer watching the hurricane scene in the movie “The Devil and Daniel Webster”.

11 “M*A*S*H” star : ALDA

Alan Alda has had a great television career, most notably as a lead actor in “M*A*S*H”. He was born Alphonso D’Abruzzo in the Bronx, New York City. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He also won an Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

12 The ten in “hang ten” : TOES

“To hang ten” is a verb used in surfing. A surfer hangs ten when he or she is able to walk forward and hang ten toes over the nose of the board because the back of the board is covered by the waves being ridden.

13 Split __ : ENDS

The hair condition that we commonly refer to as “split ends”, is more formally known as “trichoptilosis”. The latter term comes from the Greek “tricho-” meaning “hair” and “ptilosis” meaning “arrangement of feathers in definite areas”!

18 Bella Hadid and Precious Lee, for two : FASHION MODELS

Bella Hadid is an American fashion model. She has modeling in her blood, as her mother is Yolanda Hadid (née van den Herik), a Dutch-born former model. Yolanda is a star on the TV show “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”. Bella is one of the highest paid models in the world.

Precious Lee is a fashion model from Atlanta, Georgia. She is a so-called “curve” model, and is one of the few Black curve models working with the big fashion houses.

22 Burro : ASS

Our word “burro”, meaning “donkey”, comes from the Spanish word for the same animal, namely “burrico”.

30 Cubs or Bears : TEAM

The Chicago Cubs baseball team was supposedly subject to the “Curse of the Billy Goat” from 1945 until 2016. Billy Sianis, the owner of a Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, took his pet goat with him to a World Series game against the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley Field. Fans sitting nearby didn’t like the smell of the goat, and so the owner was asked to leave. As he left, Sianis yelled out, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” And that is how a curse is born …

The Chicago Bears were founded in Decatur, Illinois in 1919 and moved to Chicago in 1921. The Bears are one of only two franchises in the NFL that were around at the time of the NFL’s founding (the other being the Arizona Cardinals, also based in Chicago in 1921).

31 Juno’s Greek counterpart : HERA

In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

33 “-zoic” periods : ERAS

The suffix “-zoic” is used in the names of geological eras. The term comes from the Greek “zoikos” meaning “life”.

38 Advent mo. : DEC

In the Christian tradition, Advent is the season of expectation prior to the Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus. The term “Advent” comes from the Latin “adventus” meaning “coming”. In non-religious contexts, an advent is a coming into being.

41 Yarn : TALE

The phrase “to spin a yarn”, meaning “to tell a tall tale”, originated in the early 1800s with seamen. The idea was that sailors would tell stories to each other while engaged in mindless work such as twisting yarn.

44 Dubai’s fed. : UAE

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy.

48 Madison in NYC : AVE

Madison Avenue became the center of advertising in the US in the twenties, and serves as the backdrop to the great TV drama “Mad Men”. There aren’t many advertising agencies left on Madison Avenue these days though, as most have moved to other parts of New York City. The street takes its name from Madison Square, which is bounded on one side by Madison Avenue. The square in turn takes its name from James Madison, the fourth President of the United States.

54 Food Network chef De Laurentiis : GIADA

Giada De Laurentiis is a celebrity chef who started making regular appearances on television when she hosted “Behind the Bash” in 2005 on the Food Network. She opened her first restaurant, named “GIADA”, in 2014 in Las Vegas.

56 “Canadian tuxedo” fabric : DENIM

Someone in a denim shirt or jacket along with jeans might be said to be wearing a “Canadian tuxedo”. Supposedly, the term arose in the early fifties after Bing Crosby was refused entry to a Vancouver hotel because he was sporting denim top and bottom. As a publicity stunt, Levi Strauss took advantage of the incident and designed a tuxedo for Crosby that was made entirely from denim.

61 Peck : BUSS

To buss is to kiss.

63 __ de Janeiro : RIO

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). “Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Year’s Day in 1502.

65 Cruet liquid : OIL

A cruet is a small glass bottle that holds a condiment or perhaps a dressing. The word “cruet” comes from an Old French word meaning “earthen pot”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Tap : PAT
4 Garment that may be draped in the nivi style : SARI
8 Buyer’s incentive : REBATE
14 Hoopla : ADO
15 Jeff Bridges sci-fi franchise : TRON
16 Toyota sedan since 1994 : AVALON
17 Gets just right : PERFECTS
19 Silently agreed : NODDED
20 Places to pray : ALTARS
21 __ de deux : PAS
23 Physics quantity : MASS
24 Rental agreement : LEASE
25 Get off the partner track? : GO SOLO
27 Car alarm : HORN
29 Slick : SMOOTH
32 Final Four game : SEMI
35 Yahoo : OAF
37 “Thanks, I got it” : NO NEED
39 Handi-Snacks cookie : OREO
40 Have a loan from : OWE TO
42 Like a dragon egg in Minecraft : RARE
43 Jackman’s “The Greatest Showman” role : BARNUM
45 “__ your heart out!” : EAT
46 Apple computer : IMAC
47 Siete días : SEMANA
49 Centipede’s multitude : LEGS
51 Body of work : OEUVRE
53 Firm : RIGID
57 Chatted privately, briefly : DM’ED
60 “It’s not really working for me” : MEH
61 Admonition to bickering kids : BE NICE!
62 Electric guitar effect : REVERB
64 “Back so soon?” : YOU AGAIN?
66 Audrey Tautou role : AMELIE
67 Long for : MISS
68 Vox populi, vox __ : DEI
69 Flexor counterpart : TENSOR
70 “Who __ could it be?” : ELSE
71 Parka part : ARM

Down

1 Vatican-related : PAPAL
2 “I Drink Wine” singer : ADELE
3 Sandwich on a bolillo : TORTA
4 Typical opening? : STEREO-
5 Story shapes : ARCS
6 Deteriorate : ROT
7 What a mood board might provide, informally : INSPO
8 Return correspondence? : RANSOM NOTE
9 Former Bolivian president Morales : EVO
10 Creedence Clearwater Revival hit with the line “I see trouble on the way,” or what can be found in three long Down entries : BAD MOON RISING
11 “M*A*S*H” star : ALDA
12 The ten in “hang ten” : TOES
13 Split __ : ENDS
18 Bella Hadid and Precious Lee, for two : FASHION MODELS
22 Burro : ASS
25 Chew (on) : GNAW
26 Lav : LOO
28 Key information for a hotel guest? : ROOM NUMBER
30 Cubs or Bears : TEAM
31 Juno’s Greek counterpart : HERA
32 Cry loudly : SOB
33 “-zoic” periods : ERAS
34 No more than : MERE
36 Extra charge : FEE
38 Advent mo. : DEC
41 Yarn : TALE
44 Dubai’s fed. : UAE
48 Madison in NYC : AVE
50 Axle coating : GREASE
52 Pay to play, e.g. : RHYME
54 Food Network chef De Laurentiis : GIADA
55 Less friendly : ICIER
56 “Canadian tuxedo” fabric : DENIM
57 “Dang!” : DRAT!
58 Many a viral post : MEME
59 Level : EVEN
61 Peck : BUSS
63 __ de Janeiro : RIO
65 Cruet liquid : OIL