LA Times Crossword 22 Feb 22, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Seth Bisen-Hersh
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Common Sense

Themed answers each start with a COMMON type of SENSE:

  • 57A Practical judgment … and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues : COMMON SENSE
  • 17A *Chic runway event : FASHION SHOW (giving “fashion sense”)
  • 29A *Popular betting sport : HORSE RACING (giving “horse sense”)
  • 45A *Uptown New York City thoroughfare west of Madison : SIXTH AVENUE (giving “sixth sense”)

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

Bill’s time: 6m 04s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 TV host with her “OWN” network : OPRAH

The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is a cable television channel that launched in 2011. Prior to 2011, the channel was known as Discovery Health. Discovery communications, the channel’s owner, made a deal with Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios to do a relaunch using mainly content provided by Harpo.

6 Avoider of foods from animals : VEGAN

A vegan is someone who stays away from animal products. A dietary vegan eats no animal foods, not even eggs and dairy that are usually eaten by vegetarians. Ethical vegans take things one step further by following a vegan diet and also avoiding animal products in other areas of their lives e.g. items made from leather or silk.

14 “A penny saved … ” is one : ADAGE

The old adage, “A penny saved is a penny earned” is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. However, what he actually wrote is, “A penny saved is twopence dear”.

16 “Into __ Woods” : THE

“Into the Woods” is a Stephen Sondheim musical that premiered in 1986. The storyline uses characters from several fairy tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella”. The borrowed characters are held together with an underlying original tale about a baker and his wife who long to have a child, but cannot due to a curse placed on them by a witch.

17 *Chic runway event : FASHION SHOW (giving “fashion sense”)

“Chic” is a French word meaning “stylish”.

19 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.

21 Zac of “High School Musical” films : EFRON

Zac Efron is an actor from San Luis Obispo, California. Apparently Efron is a heartthrob to “tweenyboppers”. His big break came with the hit Disney movie “High School Musical”.

“High School Musical” is a 2006 Disney film made for television that spawned two sequels released to movie theaters worldwide. The soundtrack to “High School Musical” ended up being the best-selling album for 2006. Apparently, the storyline is based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.

23 Mex. neighbor : USA

The Mexico-US border stretches almost 2,000 miles, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. It is the most frequently crossed international border in the whole world, with about 350 million legal crossings annually.

34 PC problem solvers : IT PROS

Information technology (IT)

36 Harvard or Yale, e.g. : IVY

The term “Ivy League” originally defined an athletic conference, but now it is used to describe a group of schools of higher education that are associated with both a long tradition and academic excellence. The eight Ivy League Schools are: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale.

37 Robert of “The Sopranos” : ILER

Actor Robert Iler’s most famous role was A.J., son of mob leader Tony Soprano in HBO’s “The Sopranos”. Apparently Iler’s screen persona has spilled over into his personal life, as he was arrested for armed robbery of two tourists in 2001 (and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge).

38 Spanish bull : TORO

In Spanish, a “toro” (bull) attacks the “capa” (cape) in a bullfight.

39 Director Ang : LEE

Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

41 Greek Cupid : EROS

The name of Eros, the Greek god of love, gives rise to our word “erotic” meaning “arousing sexual desire”. Eros was referred to in Latin as both “Amor” (meaning “love”) and “Cupid” (meaning “desire”).

42 Lively dance : JIG

The jig is a dance most associated with Ireland and Scotland. In traditional Irish dancing, the jig is second in popularity only to the reel. The most famous Irish jig is probably “The Irish Washerwoman”. I may not dance a jig, but I sure do know the tune of “The Irish Washerwoman” …

43 Bowling woes : SPLITS

In ten-pin bowling, a split takes place when the number-one pin (headpin) is knocked down with the first ball and two or more non-adjacent pins are left standing. The most difficult split to deal with is the infamous 7-10 split, where just the rear pins at the extreme right and left remain standing.

45 *Uptown New York City thoroughfare west of Madison : SIXTH AVENUE (giving “sixth sense”)

New York City’s Sixth Avenue was officially changed to Avenue of the Americas in 1945. The intent was to honor the nations of Central and South America, and the national seals of those countries were attached to streetlights along the length of the thoroughfare. The new name never really stuck with locals, and today the name “Sixth Avenue” is used more often than not.

48 Game console letters : NES

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era. Nintendo replaced the NES with Wii, which is also the biggest-selling game console in the world.

49 Its symbol is Fe : IRON

The Latin word for “iron” is “ferrum”, which gives us “Fe” as the metal’s chemical symbol.

51 Test for M.A. hopefuls : GRE

Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

Master of Arts (MA)

52 Masters of the Universe superhero : HE-MAN

Masters of the Universe is a sword-and-sorcery multimedia franchise that was introduced by Mattel in the 1980s. The main characters in the storyline are superhero He-Man, who battles against Skeletor on the planet Eternia, and He-Man’s sister She-Ra, who rebels against the Horde on the planet Etheria.

54 With 55-Down, superhero alter ego : CLARK …
(55 See 54-Across : … KENT)

Superman’s comic book creators gave their title character’s alter-ego the name “Clark Kent” by melding the names of Clark Gable and Kent Taylor, two leading men of the cinema at the time Superman was created. However, they modeled Clark’s character more on the silent film actor Harold Lloyd.

56 Señora Perón : EVA

Eva Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón who was in office from 1946 to 1955. The Argentine First Lady was known affectionately by the people as “Evita”, the Spanish language diminutive of “Eva”. “Evita” is also the title of a tremendously successful musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice that is based on the life of Eva Perón.

63 Tennis call : LET!

Our modern sport of tennis evolved from the much older racquet sport known as real tennis. Originally just called “tennis”, the older game was labeled “real tennis” when the modern version began to hold sway. Real tennis is played in a closed court, with the ball frequently bounced off the walls.

64 Coin flip call : HEADS

The two sides of a coin are known as the “obverse” and the “reverse”. The obverse is commonly referred to as “heads”, as it often depicts someone’s head. The reverse is commonly called “tails”, as it is the opposite of “heads”.

65 Baseball’s Shohei Ohtani, notably : ANGEL

Shohei Ohtani is a baseball pitcher from Japan who started his professional career in 2013 playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He was signed by the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, and in 2018 was named the American League’s Rookie of the Year.

66 “Black-ish” patriarch : DRE

“black-ish” is a sitcom starring Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross that premiered in 2014. The show is noted for tackling tough issues such as racism, police brutality, attitudes toward the LGBT community, and the 2016 US presidential election.

68 Sporty car roofs : T-TOPS

A T-top is a car roof that has removable panels on either side of a rigid bar that runs down the center of the vehicle above the driver.

Down

2 Romantic kiss in a crowd, for short : PDA

Public display of affection (PDA)

3 Univ. aides : RAS

A resident assistant/adviser (RA) is a peer leader found in a residence hall, particularly on a college campus.

4 Turkish title : AGHA

“Aga” (also “agha”) is a title that was used by both civil and military officials in the Ottoman Empire.

5 Song sung by a toon mining septet : HEIGH-HO

“Heigh-Ho” is one of the best known songs in the classic Disney animated feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. It is sung by the seven dwarfs as they head off to mine diamonds and rubies.

6 Facade : VENEER

Our word “facade” has been meaning “front of a building” since the mid-17th century. We started using the term figuratively, to mean “superficial appearance”, in the mid-19th century. “Façade” is the original French word with the same meaning, from which our English term derives.

8 “Dilbert” cry : GAH!

“Dilbert” is a comic strip drawn by Scott Adams, who used to be a “neighbor” of mine when I lived in the Bay Area. Adams used to be co-owner of a restaurant at the end of my street that had a menu replete with “Dilbertesque” comments.

11 Diva’s goal : STAR BILLING

The term “diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. “Diva” is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.

13 Coffee source : BEAN

The species Coffea arabica is thought to be the first plant cultivated for coffee. Today, 75-80% of the world’s coffee comes from Coffea arabica.

18 The first of them was sold March 6, 1912 : OREOS

National Oreo Cookie Day is March 6th each year. There is an urban legend that the particular day was chosen as this was the day that the name “Oreo” was registered as a trademark. However, that’s not the case. The application was filed on March 14, 1912 and registration took place on August 12, 1913. The suggestion is that the first Oreos went on sale on March 6, 1912.

24 Zen enlightenment : SATORI

“Satori” is a Japanese term that is used in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Satori does not refer to full enlightenment (nirvana) but rather is a step along the way, a flash of awareness.

25 Close, but not precise : APPROXIMATE

Something approximate is nearly correct, but not precisely. “Approximate” comes into English from Latin “ad” meaning “to” and “proximare” meaning “to come near”.

30 Prolonged battle : SIEGE

Our word “siege” comes from a 13th-century word for a “seat”. The military usage derives from the concept of a besieging force “sitting down” outside a fortress until it falls.

33 __ Pointe, Michigan : GROSSE

Grosse Pointe is an area in the northeast of Metro Detroit on the shores of Lake St. Clair. There are actually five individual “Grosse Pointe” cities that make up the Grosse Pointes: Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Shores and Grosse Pointe Woods. The name “Grosse Pointe” is a reflection of its size (“Grosse”) and the fact that it lies on a projection into the lake (“Pointe”).

35 Speech platforms : ROSTRA

A rostrum (plural “rostra”) is an elevated platform, particularly one for public speaking. The original rostrum was the platform used by public speakers in the Forum of ancient Rome.

39 2020 Super Bowl number : LIV

Super Bowl LIV was played at the end of the 2019 season between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs emerged victorious, winning their first Super Bowl since 1970. The halftime show featured singer Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.

42 Yr. starter : JAN

January is the first month of our Gregorian calendar. It is named for Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions.

43 Khartoum’s land : SUDAN

Sudan was the largest country in Africa until 2011, when the Southern Sudan region opted by referendum to become independent. “North Sudan” retained the name of Sudan, and the new state is called South Sudan. Sudan is now the third largest country in the continent, after Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Khartoum is the capital city of Sudan, and is located at the point where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet.

46 Bigwig : HONCHO

“Honcho” is a slang term meaning “leader”. The word comes to us from the Japanese military, in which language a “hancho” is a “squad” (han) “leader” (cho).

A bigwig is someone important. The use of the term “bigwig” harks back to the days when men of authority and rank wore … big wigs.

54 Starfleet rank: Abbr. : CMDR

Commander (cmdr.)

In the “Star Trek” universe, Starfleet is a military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Famously, Starfleet is also tasked with deep-space exploration, “to boldly go where no man has gone before …”

58 20-vol. reference : OED

Work started on what was to become the first “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) in 1857. Several interim versions of the dictionary were published in the coming years with the first full version appearing, in ten bound volumes, in 1928. The second edition of the OED appeared in 1989 and is made up of twenty volumes. The OED was first published in electronic form in 1988 and went online in 2000. Given the modern use of computers, the publishing house responsible feels that there will never be a third print version of the famous dictionary.

59 Red Guard leader : MAO

Red Guards were young paramilitaries who were mobilized by Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution in China in the mid-sixties.

60 Nonprofit aid gp. : NGO

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

61 Labor Day mo. : SEP

The month of September is the ninth month in our year, although the name “September” comes from the Latin word “septum” meaning “seventh”. September was the seventh month in the Roman calendar until the year 46 BC when Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar. The Julian system moved the start of the year from March 1st to January 1st, and shifted September to the ninth month. The Gregorian calendar that we use today was introduced in 1582.

Labor Day is a federal holiday observed every year on the first Monday in September. The tradition of honoring workers with a holiday started in Boston in 1878, when a day of observance was organized by the Central Labor Union, the major trade union at the time. There was a bloody dispute in 1894 between labor unions and the railroads called the Pullman Strike, which led to the death of some workers when the US Military and US Marshals were instructed to maintain order. President Grover Cleveland submitted a “Labor Day” bill to Congress which was signed into law just six days after the end of the strike. The introduction of a federal holiday to honor the worker was a move designed to promote reconciliation between management and unions after the bitter conflict.

62 Golfer Ernie : ELS

Ernie Els is a South African golfer. He is a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. Els is a former World No. 1 and has won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 TV host with her “OWN” network : OPRAH
6 Avoider of foods from animals : VEGAN
11 Weep : SOB
14 “A penny saved … ” is one : ADAGE
15 Thrill : ELATE
16 “Into __ Woods” : THE
17 *Chic runway event : FASHION SHOW (giving “fashion sense”)
19 Actress de Armas : ANA
20 Not clash : AGREE
21 Zac of “High School Musical” films : EFRON
23 Mex. neighbor : USA
26 Part of a snicker : HEE
27 Seafood found in cakes : CRAB
28 Short rest : NAP
29 *Popular betting sport : HORSE RACING (giving “horse sense”)
34 PC problem solvers : IT PROS
36 Harvard or Yale, e.g. : IVY
37 Robert of “The Sopranos” : ILER
38 Spanish bull : TORO
39 Director Ang : LEE
40 As well : ALSO
41 Greek Cupid : EROS
42 Lively dance : JIG
43 Bowling woes : SPLITS
45 *Uptown New York City thoroughfare west of Madison : SIXTH AVENUE (giving “sixth sense”)
48 Game console letters : NES
49 Its symbol is Fe : IRON
50 Dedicated poem : ODE
51 Test for M.A. hopefuls : GRE
52 Masters of the Universe superhero : HE-MAN
54 With 55-Down, superhero alter ego : CLARK …
56 Señora Perón : EVA
57 Practical judgment … and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues : COMMON SENSE
63 Tennis call : LET!
64 Coin flip call : HEADS
65 Baseball’s Shohei Ohtani, notably : ANGEL
66 “Black-ish” patriarch : DRE
67 Scents : ODORS
68 Sporty car roofs : T-TOPS

Down

1 Dolt : OAF
2 Romantic kiss in a crowd, for short : PDA
3 Univ. aides : RAS
4 Turkish title : AGHA
5 Song sung by a toon mining septet : HEIGH-HO
6 Facade : VENEER
7 Otherwise : ELSE
8 “Dilbert” cry : GAH!
9 From __ B: basic step : A TO
10 Period of change that’s “ushered in” : NEW ERA
11 Diva’s goal : STAR BILLING
12 “That’s awful!” : OH NO!
13 Coffee source : BEAN
18 The first of them was sold March 6, 1912 : OREOS
22 Spa treatment : FACIAL
23 Brings together : UNITES
24 Zen enlightenment : SATORI
25 Close, but not precise : APPROXIMATE
27 Weep : CRY
30 Prolonged battle : SIEGE
31 Holiday lead-in : EVE
32 Empty __: parent whose kids have grown and moved : NESTER
33 __ Pointe, Michigan : GROSSE
35 Speech platforms : ROSTRA
39 2020 Super Bowl number : LIV
42 Yr. starter : JAN
43 Khartoum’s land : SUDAN
44 Eyes closely : PEERS AT
46 Bigwig : HONCHO
47 “We can do without him” : NO LOSS
52 Conducted, as a meeting : HELD
53 Eternally : EVER
54 Starfleet rank: Abbr. : CMDR
55 See 54-Across : … KENT
58 20-vol. reference : OED
59 Red Guard leader : MAO
60 Nonprofit aid gp. : NGO
61 Labor Day mo. : SEP
62 Golfer Ernie : ELS