LA Times Crossword 30 Mar 20, Monday

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Constructed by: Annemarie Brethauer
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Homestretch

Themed answers each include the letters H-O-M-E STRETCHED throughout:

  • 59A Last leg of a race … or a hint to the circled letters : HOME STRETCH
  • 17A Studio feature that produces reverb : ECHOCHAMBER
  • 25A Very popular movie star, e.g. : HOT NUMBER
  • 37A 2017 Day-Lewis film with multiple Oscar nominations : PHANTOM THREAD
  • 50A Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting : AHOY, MATEY!

Bill’s time: 5m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Seized SUV, say : REPO

Repossession (repo)

“SUV” is an initialism standing for “sports utility vehicle”, and is a term that was introduced by our marketing friends. Using the phrase “sports utility vehicle” was a very clever way to get us to pay a lot of money for what was essentially a station wagon on a truck chassis, or at least it was back then.

15 Wind instrument in Donovan’s “Jennifer Juniper” : OBOE

“Donovan” is the stage name of Scottish folk and pop singer Donovan Leitch. One of his more famous recordings on this side of the pond is 1966’s “Mellow Yellow”.

Scottish singer Donovan wrote the 1968 song “Jennifer Juniper” about Jenny Boyd, the sister of Pattie Boyd. Pattie later married Mike Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac fame.

19 GPS choice : RTE

A global positioning system (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).

20 AFL partner : CIO

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1886, making it one of the first federations of unions in the country. Over time the AFL became dominated by craft unions, unions representing skilled workers of particular disciplines. In the early thirties, John L. Lewis led a movement within the AFL to organize workers by industry, believing this would be more effective for the members. But the craft unions refused to budge, so Lewis set up a rival federation of unions in 1932, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The two federations became bitter rivals for over two decades until finally merging in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.

34 Goat’s cry : MAA!

Male goats are bucks or billies, although castrated males are known as wethers. Female goats are does or nannies, and young goats are referred to as kids.

35 Pasta sauce brand : RAGU

The Ragú brand of pasta sauce is owned by Unilever. The name ” Ragù” is the Italian word for a sauce used to dress pasta, however the spelling is a little off. In Italian, the word is “Ragù” with a grave accent over the “u”, but if you look at a jar of the sauce on the supermarket shelf it is spelled “Ragú” on the label, with an acute accent. Sometimes I think we just don’t try …

36 Poe’s “Annabel __” : LEE

“Annabel Lee” was the last complete poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. The opening lines are:

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;

The closing lines are:

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

37 2017 Day-Lewis film with multiple Oscar nominations : PHANTOM THREAD

“Phantom Thread” is a 2017 period drama about the world of high fashion in London in the 1950s. The film’s star is Daniel Day-Lewis, in his last performance before retiring from acting.

43 Famous Downing Street address : TEN

In the UK, the Prime Minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street in London is most usually referred to as “Number 10”. The building is really quite large, with three floors (and a basement kitchen) and has about one hundred rooms. The top floor is the private residence of the Prime Minister and his or her family. Number 10 is large, as it was originally three houses. The structure was remodeled into a residence for Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole in 1732, as a gift from King George II.

44 Bone-muscle connectors : TENDONS

Tendons are bands of collagen that connect muscles to bones. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae, which are also connective tissue made out of collagen, but ligaments join bone to bone, and fasciae connect muscle to muscle.

46 Like moody Romantic heroes, as first described in the works of a British lord : BYRONIC

One form of Romantic hero is a Byronic hero, named for English poet Lord Byron. A Byronic hero has characteristics of the poet himself, as well as characteristics of the heroes who appeared in Byron’s works. Examples of Byronic heroes range from the Phantom in Gaston Leroux’s “Phantom of the Opera” to James Bond in the spy novels by Ian Fleming.

50 Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting : AHOY, MATEY!

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th every year, a “holiday” that was created in 1995. The event started out as an inside joke between John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon, but when they shared the notion with columnist Dave Barry, he promoted the idea and it took off.

52 Centers of activity : LOCI

“Locus” (plural “loci”) is Latin for “place”, and is used in English with the same meaning. The term can also be used to describe a center of power or activity.

57 __ Van Winkle : RIP

“Rip Van Winkle” is a short story written by Washington Irving. The story was an instant hit, and was adapted for the stage just a few years after its first publication in 1819. Since then “Rip” has featured on the small screen, big screen and even in an operetta.

58 Sassy West : MAE

Comic actress Mae West can be quoted so easily, as she had so many great lines delivered so well. Here are a few:

  • When I’m good, I’m very good. When I’m bad, I’m better.
  • When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before.
  • I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure.
  • Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution yet.
  • I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
  • Why don’t you come on up and see me sometime — when I’ve got nothin’ on but the radio.
  • It’s better to be looked over than overlooked.
  • To err is human, but it feels divine.
  • I like my clothes to be tight enough to show I’m a woman, but loose enough to show I’m a lady.
  • I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.
  • Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

64 “Easy to Be Hard” musical : HAIR

The full name of the famed show from the sixties is “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”, although the 1979 film adaptation was simply titled “Hair”. This controversial work outraged many when it was first performed in the sixties, as it attacked many aspects of life at the time. For example, the song “Air” is a satirical look at pollution, sung by a character who comes onto the stage wearing a gas mask. The opening lines are “Welcome, sulfur dioxide. Hello carbon monoxide. The air … is everywhere”. How things have changed over the past few decades said he … satirically …

65 Way out of jail : PAROLE

“Parole” is a French word that we use in English, with the French “parole” meaning “word, speech”. Of particular interest is the French phrase “parole d’honneur” which translates as “word of honor”. In the early 1600s we started using “parole” to mean a promise by a prisoner of war not to escape, as in the prisoner giving his “word of honor” not to run off. Over time, parole has come to mean conditional release of a prisoner before he or she has served the full term of a sentence.

66 Ed.’s backlog : MSS

An editor (ed.) might read or edit a manuscript (MS)

Down

1 “Cocoon” co-star Don : AMECHE

Don Ameche was such a gentleman. He starred in the fun movie “Trading Places” in 1983, and was required to use the “f-word” in the script. According to co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, Ameche went around the set before the scene was shot, and apologized in advance to everyone for having to use bad language.

“Cocoon” is a fun 1985 sci-fi film directed by Ron Howard. The movie is about a group of elderly friends who become rejuvenated due to exposure to alien cocoons. One of the stars of the film is Don Ameche, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.

4 Tres menos dos : UNO

In Spanish, “tres menos dos” (three minus two) is “uno” (one).

5 Solidarity’s Walesa : LECH

Lech Walesa worked as an electrician in the Gdansk Shipyards in Poland. Walesa was active in the trade union movement in the days when unions were not welcome behind the Iron Curtain. His efforts resulted in the founding of Solidarity, the first independent trade union in Soviet-controlled territory. For his work, Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and in 1990 he became the first democratically elected President of Poland. He has lost support in Poland in recent years, but he is a very popular booking on the international speaking circuit.

6 Juliet’s love : ROMEO

In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, it is explicitly stated that Juliet is 13 years of age, and the assumption is that Romeo is perhaps a little older.

7 Tidal reflux : EBB

An influx is a flowing in, and a reflux is a flowing out. Both “influx” and “reflux” come from the Latin verb “fluere” meaning “to flow”.

8 “Nevermore” poet : POE

“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe that tells of a student who has lost the love of his life, Lenore. A raven enters the student’s bedchamber and perches on a bust of Pallas. The raven can talk, to the student’s surprise, but says nothing but the word “nevermore” (“quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’”). As the student questions all aspects of his life, the raven taunts him with the same comment, “nevermore”. Finally, the student decides that his soul is trapped beneath the raven’s shadow and shall be lifted “nevermore”.

10 Geometry curve : PARABOLA

A parabola is roughly a u-shape curve. Parabolic mirrors have cross-sections that are parabolic curves. Such mirrors have the characteristic that light emanating from the parabolas focal point leaves the mirror as a parallel beam, a collimated beam.

11 Losing money, colorfully : IN THE RED

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”.

12 Organ with a pupil : EYE

The pupil of the eye is the hole located in the center of the iris through which light enters the retina. The term “pupil” came into English via French from the latin “pupilla”, which is the diminutive form of “pupa” meaning “girl, doll”. The term came about due to the tiny doll-like image that one can see of oneself when looking into the center of another’s eyes.

14 Letter after pi : RHO

Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”, although it is equivalent to the Roman letter R.

24 National Preparedness Month org. : FEMA

September was declared as National Preparedness Month starting in 2004 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). National Preparedness Month is part of FEMA’s Ready Campaign, which urges folks to prepare for emergencies including natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

27 First of two nearly identical words to a tucked-in tot : NIGHTY …

Nighty-night … [yawn]

28 Loan shark : USURER

Usury used to be the practice of simply lending money at interest, but the term now refers to lending at rates of interest that are excessive.

32 Rita Moreno, e.g. : LATINA

Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress Rita Moreno is one of the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Moreno got her big break, and won her Oscar, for playing Anita in the 1961 screen adaptation of “West Side Story”. And, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2004.

35 Apt. ad count : RMS

39 Hops kiln : OAST

An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. Such a structure might also be called an “oast house” or “hop kiln”. The term “oast” can also apply to a kiln used to dry tobacco.

40 Organic compound : ENOL

An enol is an alkene with a hydroxyl group, and so is part-alkene and part-alcohol. The term “enol”, therefore, is a portmanteau of “alkene” and “alcohol”.

41 School support org. : PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

46 Tournament passes : BYES

The word “bye”, as used in sport, originated in cricket. A bye is a run scored due to an error by the wicketkeeper (similar to a catcher in baseball) when he fails to stop a ball bowled by the bowler (like a pitcher in baseball). Later the word “bye” in sport came to mean the position of a player in a tournament who is left without a competitor when the rest have drawn pairs. In these commercial times, those byes tend to be awarded to the best (seeded) players, so that the most popular players always advance past the first round of competition.

47 McAfee rival : NORTON

Norton Antivirus software is produced by Symantec. The Norton brand name originated with Peter Norton Computing, a company that Symantec acquired in 1990. Peter Norton’s most famous product was Norton Utilities, and he never produced an antivirus application. Symantec decided to use the respected Norton brand for the antivirus product that it developed and introduced in 1991.

51 Nail-filing board : EMERY

Emery is a very hard type of rock that is crushed for use as an abrasive. Emery paper is made by gluing small particles of emery to paper. Emery boards are just emery paper with a cardboard backing. And emery boards are primarily used for filing nails.

55 Car care brand : STP

STP is a brand name of automotive lubricants and additives. The name “STP” is an initialism standing for “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

56 Mex. ladies : SRAS

In Spanish, a “dama” (lady) might be referred to as “Señora” (Mrs.).

58 “The word” in silence : MUM

The phrase “mum’s the word” has been around since the early 1700s. “Mum” has been used to mean “silent” for centuries, the idea being that “mum” is the sound made when the lips are tightly sealed.

59 FDA overseer : HHS

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was split in 1979, into the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its roots in the Division of Chemistry (later “Bureau of Chemistry”) that was part of the US Department of Agriculture. President Theodore Roosevelt gave responsibility for examination of food and drugs to the Bureau of Chemistry with the signing of the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Bureau’s name was changed to the Food, Drug and Insecticide Organization in 1927, and to the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

61 Hamm of soccer : MIA

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player. She played as a forward on the US national team that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm scored 158 international goals, more than any other player in the world, male or female. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Run __ of the law: get in trouble : AFOUL
6 Seized SUV, say : REPO
10 Pumpkin dessert : PIE
13 Style : MANNER
15 Wind instrument in Donovan’s “Jennifer Juniper” : OBOE
16 “__ ideas?” : ANY
17 Studio feature that produces reverb : ECHOCHAMBER
19 GPS choice : RTE
20 AFL partner : CIO
21 Pool-filling aid : HOSE
22 Spa sigh : AAH!
23 Fifty percent : HALF
25 Very popular movie star, e.g. : HOT NUMBER
30 Advanced in age : ELDERLY
33 Museum of Natural __ : HISTORY
34 Goat’s cry : MAA!
35 Pasta sauce brand : RAGU
36 Poe’s “Annabel __” : LEE
37 2017 Day-Lewis film with multiple Oscar nominations : PHANTOM THREAD
41 True master : PRO
42 Days, to Diego : DIAS
43 Famous Downing Street address : TEN
44 Bone-muscle connectors : TENDONS
46 Like moody Romantic heroes, as first described in the works of a British lord : BYRONIC
50 Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting : AHOY, MATEY!
52 Centers of activity : LOCI
53 Before, to poets : ERE
54 Untidy condition : MESS
57 __ Van Winkle : RIP
58 Sassy West : MAE
59 Last leg of a race … or a hint to the circled letters : HOME STRETCH
63 SUV’s “U,” briefly : UTE
64 “Easy to Be Hard” musical : HAIR
65 Way out of jail : PAROLE
66 Ed.’s backlog : MSS
67 “Don’t move, Rover!” : STAY!
68 More sensible : SANER

Down

1 “Cocoon” co-star Don : AMECHE
2 Spa skin-care treatment : FACIAL
3 Waiting for a phone rep, maybe : ON HOLD
4 Tres menos dos : UNO
5 Solidarity’s Walesa : LECH
6 Juliet’s love : ROMEO
7 Tidal reflux : EBB
8 “Nevermore” poet : POE
9 Poet’s contraction : O’ER
10 Geometry curve : PARABOLA
11 Losing money, colorfully : IN THE RED
12 Organ with a pupil : EYE
14 Letter after pi : RHO
18 Pallid : ASHY
22 Check no. : AMT
24 National Preparedness Month org. : FEMA
26 “Is __ legal?” : THAT
27 First of two nearly identical words to a tucked-in tot : NIGHTY …
28 Loan shark : USURER
29 Whiskey grain : RYE
31 Hit-or-miss : RANDOM
32 Rita Moreno, e.g. : LATINA
35 Apt. ad count : RMS
37 Warms in advance : PREHEATS
38 Award recipients : HONOREES
39 Hops kiln : OAST
40 Organic compound : ENOL
41 School support org. : PTA
45 Color, as hair : DYE
46 Tournament passes : BYES
47 McAfee rival : NORTON
48 Frozen spike : ICICLE
49 Coded writing : CIPHER
51 Nail-filing board : EMERY
55 Car care brand : STP
56 Mex. ladies : SRAS
58 “The word” in silence : MUM
59 FDA overseer : HHS
60 Breakfast grain : OAT
61 Hamm of soccer : MIA
62 Important period : ERA