LA Times Crossword 24 Feb 23, Friday

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Constructed by: Sally Hoelscher & Wendy L. Brandes
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Trim the Tree

Themed answers require us to TRIM THE TREE (circled letters) in order to match the clue:

  • 62A Decorate for Christmas, in a way, and how to make sense of the answer to each starred clue? : TRIM THE TREE
  • 17A *Pilot’s reputation among airport agents? : GATE CRED (GATE-CRASHED – ASH)
  • 30A *Triage site’s gooey alternative to sutures? : ER’S GLUE (ELMER’S GLUE – ELM)
  • 46A *Practice for “The Voice” while in the shower? : SING WET (SOAKING WET – OAK)

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

Bill’s time: 8m 42s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11 Texting initials : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

15 Wilson of “The Internship” : OWEN

Actor Owen Wilson was nominated for an Oscar, but not for his acting. He was nominated for co-writing the screenplay for “The Royal Tenenbaums” along with Wes Anderson. My favorite of Wilson’s performances, by far, is in the excellent movie “Midnight in Paris”.

“The Internship” is a 2013 comedy film starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as two “older” interns at Google. The movie was filmed at the real Google headquarters in Mountain View, California and several real-life Google executives and employees make cameo appearances.

17 *Pilot’s reputation among airport agents? : GATE CRED (GATE-CRASHED – ASH)

The wood of the ash tree is hardwood, although it is relatively elastic. Famously, ash is the wood of choice for baseball bats. It is also the wood of choice for hurleys, the wooden sticks used in the Irish sport of hurling.

19 Food Network host Garten : INA

Ina Garten is an author as well as the host of a cooking show on the Food Network called “Barefoot Contessa”. She is a mentee of Martha Stewart, and indeed was touted as a potential “successor” to the TV celebrity when Stewart was incarcerated in 2004 after an insider trading scandal. Garten has no formal training as a chef, and indeed used to work as a nuclear policy analyst at the White House!

20 Long-billed bird : SNIPE

Snipes are wading birds with very long and thin bills that they use to search for small invertebrates in mud. In bygone days, a shot taken by a hunter at one of these wading birds became known as a “snipe”. This usage evolved into the word “sniper” applying to anyone shooting from a hidden position.

21 Hijab, for one : VEIL

Some Muslim women wear a hijab in the presence of males outside of their immediate family. A hijab is a veil covering the head and chest. Some also wear a niqab as part of the hijab, which is a cloth that covers the face. Other Muslim women wear a burqa, which covers the whole body from the top of the head to the ground.

22 Sharp set : HDTV

Sharp Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic goods, headquartered in Osaka. The company takes its name from one of the first inventions of one of its founders, namely the Ever-Ready Sharp Pencil. Sharp was the company that introduced the world to the LCD calculator, paving the way for the small and portable calculators that we all had, way back when …

23 Longtime Farr co-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.

Actor Jamie Farr is best known for playing the cross-dressing Max Klinger in the sitcom ”M*A*S*H”. Although Farr landed a role in the 1955 movie “Blackboard Jungle”, his career didn’t really take off until he started appearing regularly on “The Red Skelton Show”. Years later he managed to get a one-episode appearance in ”M*A*S*H”, and his character and performance were received so well that he became a regular on the show. Farr actually did serve in the US Army in Korea, although it was after hostilities had ended. The dog tags that Farr wore when filming ”M*A*S*H” were the ones that he actually wore while serving in the military.

30 *Triage site’s gooey alternative to sutures? : ER’S GLUE (ELMER’S GLUE – ELM)

Triage is the process of prioritizing patients for treatment, especially on the battlefield. The term “triage” is French and means “sorting”.

Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor of Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer’s Glue.

34 Q.E.D. part : ERAT

The initialism “QED” is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. QED stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

35 Mauna __ : LOA

The Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) on the Big Island of Hawaii primarily monitors and collects data about changes in the Earth’s atmosphere. The MLO has been continuously monitoring CO2 levels in the atmosphere longer than any other facility on the planet, with records going back to 1958.

36 Some rugged sandals : KEENS

Keen is an American shoe company that was founded by a sailor named Martin Keen, who was inspired to create a new type of sandal that would protect his toes while sailing.

37 HS equivalency test : GED

The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a battery of four tests designed to demonstrate that a student has the academic skills of someone who has graduated from an American or Canadian high school.

41 __ text: accessibility feature : ALT

Alt text, short for “alternative text,” is a description of an image that is used to provide information to people who cannot see the image, either because they are visually impaired or because the image cannot be loaded for some reason.

42 “Just Mercy” actor __ Jackson Jr. : O’SHEA

O’Shea Jackson Jr. is an American actor and rapper who is best known for his portrayal of his own father, rapper Ice Cube, in the biopic “Straight Outta Compton” (2015).

“Just Mercy” is a 2019 legal drama movie that is based on a 2014 memoir of the same name by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson, a defense attorney devoted to representing African-American prisoners on death row, is portrayed by Michael B. Jordan. After the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, Warner Bros. made the film available for free on several streaming platforms in an effort to educate the public about systemic racism. It’s a very powerful film …

44 Doc’s org. : AMA

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest professional organization of physicians in the United States.The AMA has been involved in several landmark legal cases that have had a significant impact on American healthcare. For example, in the 1950s, the AMA was involved in a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the implementation of Medicare, arguing that it would lead to socialized medicine and harm the quality of medical care. The lawsuit was ultimately unsuccessful, and Medicare has since become a cornerstone of American healthcare.

45 Bali’s continent : ASIA

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is known as the “Island of the Gods” due to its rich and unique culture, which is steeped in religious and spiritual beliefs.

46 *Practice for “The Voice” while in the shower? : SING WET (SOAKING WET – OAK)

“The Voice” is yet another reality television show. It is a singing competition in which the judges hear the contestants without seeing them in the first round. The judges then take on chosen contestants as coaches for the remaining rounds. “The Voice” is a highly successful worldwide franchise that originated in the Netherlands as “The Voice of Holland”.

49 Shepherds’ docs? : VETS

“Vet” is an abbreviation for “veterinarian”, a professional who treats animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

50 Cooler brand : IGLOO

Igloo Products is a Texas-based manufacturer of coolers. The company started up in 1947 making metal water coolers, and introduced its first all-plastic ice chest in 1962. The Igloo name was adopted in 1971.

51 Italian bubbly : ASTI

Asti is a sparkling white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy that is named for the town of Asti around which the wine is produced. The wine used to be called Asti Spumante, and it had a very bad reputation as a “poor man’s champagne”. The “Spumante” was dropped in a marketing attempt at rebranding associated with a reduction in the amount of residual sugar in the wine.

53 Perseverance’s home : MARS

Perseverance is a NASA rover that landed on Mars in 2021. It is the first Mars rover to carry a helicopter, called Ingenuity, which made the first powered flight on another planet the day after Perseverance landed.

62 Decorate for Christmas, in a way, and how to make sense of the answer to each starred clue? : TRIM THE TREE

The custom of decorating trees at Christmas seems to have originated in Renaissance Germany. Those first trees were placed in guildhalls and were decorated with sweets and candy for the apprentices and children. After the Protestant Reformation, the Christmas tree became an alternative in Protestant homes for the Roman Catholic Christmas cribs. The Christmas tree tradition was imported into Britain by the royal family because of its German heritage. That tradition spread from Britain into North America.

64 __-1099: govt.-issued tax form : SSA

There is a series of IRS 1099 forms used to report various types of income, other than wages, salaries and tips that are reported on Form W-2. Examples are Form 1099-INT used to report interest income, 1099-DIV used to report dividend income, and 1099-MISC used to report miscellaneous income.

68 Mountain goat : IBEX

“Ibex” is a common name for various species of mountain goat. “Ibex” is a Latin name that was used for wild goats found in the Alps and Apennines in Europe.

69 Heavenly figure : SERAPH

A seraph is a celestial being found in Hebrew and Christian writings. The word “seraph” (plural “seraphim”) literally translates as “burning one”. Seraphs are the highest-ranking angels in the Christian tradition, and the fifth-ranking of ten in the Jewish tradition.

Down

2 Supermodel whose signature fragrance is “Love Memoir” : IMAN

“Love Memoir” is a book written by Iman, the Somali-American fashion model and actress. It is a memoir that chronicles her life and career, as well as her experiences as the wife of the late musician David Bowie.

3 __-lock brakes : ANTI

The first anti-lock braking system (ABS) was developed for use on aircraft, in 1929. The system reduced braking distances for aircraft by 30% because pilots were able to apply a full braking force immediately on landing instead of applying gradual pressure to avoid skidding.

6 Philharmonic sect. : STR

Many an orchestra (orch.) has a string (str.) section.

The term “philharmonic” comes from the Greek words “philos,” meaning “loving,” and “harmonia,” meaning “harmony.” It was originally used in the 19th century to describe musical societies or orchestras that were devoted to the performance of classical music. The first organization to use the name was the Royal Philharmonic Society, founded in London in 1813.

12 Julep herb : MINT

A mint julep is a bourbon-based cocktail that is associated with the American South, and with the Kentucky Derby in particular. If you’d like to make yourself a mint julep, one recipe is:

  • 3 oz of Bourbon
  • 4-6 sprigs of mint
  • granulated sugar to taste

13 Croat or Pole : SLAV

The Slavic peoples are in the majority in communities covering over half of Europe. This large ethnic group is traditionally broken down into three smaller groups:

  • the West Slavic (including Czechs and Poles)
  • the East Slavic (including Russians and Ukrainians)
  • the South Slavic (including Bulgarians, Croats and Serbs)

18 Island where Excalibur was forged : AVALON

Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legends. The name Avalon probably comes from the word “afal”, the Welsh word for “apple”, reflecting the fact that the island was noted for its beautiful apples. Avalon is where King Arthur’s famous sword “Excalibur” was forged, and supposedly where Arthur was buried.

24 Proofer’s mark : DELE

“Dele” is the editorial instruction to delete something from a document, and is often written in red.

27 Bricks that are painful to step on : LEGOS

Lego is manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company headquartered in Billund, Denmark. The company was founded by a carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 and the now-famous plastic interlocking blocks were introduced in 1949. The blocks were originally sold under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks” but I think “Lego” is easier to remember! The name “Lego” comes from the Danish term “leg godt” meaning “play well”.

31 Colorful parrot : MACAW

Macaws are beautifully-colored birds native to Central and South America that are actually a type of parrot. Most species of macaws are now endangered, with several having become extinct in recent decades. The main threats are deforestation and illegal trapping and trafficking of exotic birds.

32 Like new matches : UNLIT

A strike-anywhere match will ignite if struck against almost any dry, hard, rough surface. The match head comprises two chemicals that are necessary for ignition. In order to minimize the chances of accidental ignition of matches, the safety match was developed. The safety match is safer because the match head only includes one of the chemicals necessary for ignition. The second chemical is included in a special striking surface provided with the matches, usually along the side of a matchbox.

33 “¿Cómo __?” : ESTAS

“Cómo estas?” is Spanish for “how are you?”

40 Cable row targets, for short : LATS

The muscles known as the “lats” are the latissimi dorsi, and are the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is Latin for “broadest”, and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.

43 Med. readouts : EKGS

An EKG measures the electrical activity in the heart. Back in my homeland of Ireland, an EKG is known as an ECG (for electrocardiogram). We use the German name in the US, Elektrokardiogramm, giving us EKG. Apparently the abbreviation EKG is preferred, as ECG might be confused (if poorly handwritten, I guess) with EEG, the abbreviation for an electroencephalogram.

45 Earhart, for one : AVIATOR

Amelia Earhart is as famous today as she was during her lifetime. When she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by Congress, and the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor by the French government. She made two attempts to circumnavigate the globe by air (not solo). Her first attempt in March 1937 had to be abandoned when her aircraft was damaged during takeoff. The second attempt in June/July of the same year ended when Earhart and her navigator disappeared flying from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island in the Central Pacific.

52 “Voilà!” : THERE!

The French word “voilà” means “there it is”, and “voici” means “here it is”. The terms come from “voi là” meaning “see there” and “voi ici” meaning “see here”.

56 MC alternative : AMEX

“Amex” is short for “American Express”, the name of the financial services company that is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler’s check businesses. The company name is indicative of its original business. American Express was founded in 1850 in Buffalo, New York as an express mail service.

Mastercard is a financial services company that is headquartered in Harrison, New York. The company was originally called Master Charge and was set up by a group of California banks to compete with BankAmericard (which later became Visa).

58 “__ Vep”: HBO miniseries about a remake of the silent film “Les Vampires” : IRMA

“Irma Vep” is an HBO satirical drama that explores the challenges faced by women in the film industry. The title is a reference to a character played by French actress Musidora in a silent film serial from the early 20th century. Alicia Vikander plays Mira, a young Swedish actress who is hired to star in a remake of the French silent film “Les Vampires”.

60 Meeting, informally : SESH

Session (abbreviated to “sess.” formally, and “sesh” informally)

62 “Oof, didn’t need to know that” : TMI

Too much information (TMI)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Statistical concerns : BIASES
7 Daddy : PAPA
11 Texting initials : SMS
14 “Won’t be long now” : I’M NEXT
15 Wilson of “The Internship” : OWEN
16 Feel sick : AIL
17 *Pilot’s reputation among airport agents? : GATE CRED (GATE-CRASHED – ASH)
19 Food Network host Garten : INA
20 Long-billed bird : SNIPE
21 Hijab, for one : VEIL
22 Sharp set : HDTV
23 Longtime Farr co-star : ALDA
25 Abate : LET UP
27 Some K9 canines : LABS
30 *Triage site’s gooey alternative to sutures? : ER’S GLUE (ELMER’S GLUE – ELM)
34 Q.E.D. part : ERAT
35 Mauna __ : LOA
36 Some rugged sandals : KEENS
37 HS equivalency test : GED
38 Freebies at some crossword tournaments : PENCILS
41 __ text: accessibility feature : ALT
42 “Just Mercy” actor __ Jackson Jr. : O’SHEA
44 Doc’s org. : AMA
45 Bali’s continent : ASIA
46 *Practice for “The Voice” while in the shower? : SING WET (SOAKING WET – OAK)
49 Shepherds’ docs? : VETS
50 Cooler brand : IGLOO
51 Italian bubbly : ASTI
53 Perseverance’s home : MARS
55 Itinerary : PLAN
57 Flags down : HAILS
61 Having celebrated many birthdays : OLD
62 Decorate for Christmas, in a way, and how to make sense of the answer to each starred clue? : TRIM THE TREE
64 __-1099: govt.-issued tax form : SSA
65 Cause an emotional reaction : MOVE
66 Good scents : AROMAS
67 First car, for many? : TOY
68 Mountain goat : IBEX
69 Heavenly figure : SERAPH

Down

1 Majors, in baseball slang : BIGS
2 Supermodel whose signature fragrance is “Love Memoir” : IMAN
3 __-lock brakes : ANTI
4 Overlook : SEE PAST
5 Perform beyond expectations : EXCEL
6 Philharmonic sect. : STR
7 Put forward : POSE
8 For some time : AWHILE
9 Kitchen gadget : PEELER
10 Plus : AND
11 Asked nicely : SAID PLEASE
12 Julep herb : MINT
13 Croat or Pole : SLAV
18 Island where Excalibur was forged : AVALON
22 Enormous : HUGE
24 Proofer’s mark : DELE
26 Tuts : TSKS
27 Bricks that are painful to step on : LEGOS
28 Childish retort : ARE SO!
29 Trouble with locks? : BAD HAIR DAY
31 Colorful parrot : MACAW
32 Like new matches : UNLIT
33 “¿Cómo __?” : ESTAS
38 Bucket : PAIL
39 Clarifying phrase : I MEANT
40 Cable row targets, for short : LATS
43 Med. readouts : EKGS
45 Earhart, for one : AVIATOR
47 “S’okay” : NO PROB
48 Start streaming : GO LIVE
52 “Voilà!” : THERE!
53 More than half : MOST
54 In addition : ALSO
56 MC alternative : AMEX
58 “__ Vep”: HBO miniseries about a remake of the silent film “Les Vampires” : IRMA
59 Vault : LEAP
60 Meeting, informally : SESH
62 “Oof, didn’t need to know that” : TMI
63 Possesses : HAS