LA Times Crossword 1 Mar 22, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Jerry Edelstein
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Smart Set

Themed answers each start with something that’s SMART:

  • 58A Fashionable group … and what the starts of 18-, 21-, 38- and 52-Across form : SMART SET
  • 18A Sequence of missed calls : PHONE TAG (giving “smartphone”)
  • 21A Place for Oreos : COOKIE JAR (giving “smart cookie”)
  • 38A Let it slide : LOOK THE OTHER WAY (giving “smart look”)
  • 52A Wallet or purse alternative : MONEY BELT (giving “smart money”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Gaming site whose machines originally took pennies : ARCADE

Our word “arcade” comes from the Latin “arcus” meaning “arc”. The first arcades were passages made from a series of arches. This could be an avenue of trees, and eventually any covered avenue. I remember arcades lined with shops and stores when I was growing up on the other side of the Atlantic. Arcades came to be lined with lots of amusements, resulting in amusement arcades and video game arcades.

15 Wide-angle view : PANORAMA

Panoramic paintings have existed for centuries, but the word “panorama” was coined around 1790 to describe an invention by the artist Robert Barker. He created an apparatus for exhibiting pictures on the inside of a cylindrical surface, allowing the viewer to stand in the middle with access to a 360-degree vista. The term comes from Greek “pan-” meaning “all” and “horama” meaning “sight, spectacle”.

21 Place for Oreos : COOKIE JAR (giving “smart cookie”)

The Oreo cookie was introduced in 1912. The Oreo was intended to be a competitor to the very similar Hydrox cookie which had debuted four years earlier. The Oreo won the resulting battle on the grocery store shelves …

30 New England cape : ANN

Cape Ann is located 30 miles north of Boston and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda in her memory, but King Charles I changed the name to Cape Ann in honor of his own mother, Anne of Denmark.

33 When tied NFL games may be decided : IN OT

In overtime (in OT)

34 Spanish folk hero : EL CID

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was known as El Cid Campeador, which translates as “The Champion” or perhaps “The Lord, Master of Military Arts”. El Cid was a soldier who fought under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Spain (among others). However, he was sent into exile by the King in 1080, after acting beyond his authorization in battle. El Cid then offered his services to his former foes, the Moorish kings, After a number of years building a reputation with the Moors, he was recalled from exile by Alfonso. By this time El Cid was very much his own man. Nominally under the orders of Alfonso, he led a combined army of Spanish and Moorish troops and took the city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast in 1094, making it his headquarters and home. He died in Valencia, quite peacefully, in 1099.

44 Bearing : MIEN

One’s mien is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

47 Mayo, por ejemplo : MES

In Spanish, “mayo” (May) is one of the months of the “año” (year).

50 North Atlantic hazards : BERGS

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that is floating freely after having broken away from a glacier or ice shelf. Our use of “iceberg” comes from the Dutch word for the same phenomenon “ijsberg”, which translates literally as “ice mountain”.

64 Lone Ranger, to Tonto : KEMOSABE

“Kemosabe” is a term used by the Tonto character in the iconic radio and television program “The Lone Ranger”. “Kemosabe” doesn’t really mean anything outside of the show, and in fact was written as “ke-mo sah-bee” in the original radio show scripts. The term was created by longtime director of “The Lone Ranger” Jim Jewell. To come up with the term, Jewell used the name of a boy’s camp that his father-in-law established called Kamp Kee-Mo Sah-Bee.

Down

1 Andes grazer : ALPACA

Alpacas are like small llamas, but unlike llamas were never beasts of burden. Alpacas were bred specifically for the fleece. As such, there are no known wild alpacas these days, even in their native Peru.

The Andes range is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world. It runs down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles, from Venezuela in the north to Chile in the south. The highest peak in the Andes is Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.

3 Novelist McCullers : CARSON

Carson McCullers was an author whose best-known work has to be “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” that was published in 1940. “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” was adapted into a 1968 film of the same name starring Alan Arkin.

6 Georgia summer hrs. : EDT

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

What is now the US state of Georgia, was the last of the original Thirteen colonies to be established. It was named for King George II of Great Britain.

7 Uber or Lyft : APP

Transportation network company Uber was founded in 2009 as “UberCab”. The company name was changed to “Uber” in 2011. The name change was largely driven by complaints from taxi operators in San Francisco.

Lyft is a ridesharing service that is based in San Francisco, as is Uber, Lyft’s biggest competitor.

8 African desert : SAHARA

The name “Sahara” means “greatest desert” in Arabic. The Sahara is just that, a great desert covering almost 4 million square miles of Northern Africa. That’s almost the size of the United States.

9 Kentucky fort : KNOX

Fort Knox is actually a US Army base that lends its name to the adjacent facility that is more correctly called the United States Bullion Depository. Most of the US gold reserves are in “Fort Knox”, although it isn’t the biggest gold repository in the US. That honor goes to the vault under the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Manhattan. Most of the gold stored in the New York vault belongs to foreign nations and banks.

12 Thurman of “Pulp Fiction” : UMA

Uma Thurman started her working career as a fashion model, at the age of 15. She appeared in her first movies at 17, with her most acclaimed early role being Cécile de Volanges in 1988’s “Dangerous Liaisons”. Thurman’s career really took off when she played the gangster’s moll Mia in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” in 1994. My favorite of all Thurman’s movies is “The Truth About Cats & Dogs”, a less acclaimed romcom released in 1996. She took a few years off from acting from 1998 until 2002 following the birth of her first child. It was Tarantino who relaunched her career, giving her the lead in the “Kill Bill” films.

I’m not a big fan of director Quentin Tarantino, nor his work. His movies are too violent for me, and the size of his ego just turns me right off. Having said that, I think “Pulp Fiction” is a remarkable film. If you can look past the violence, it’s really well written. And what a legacy it has. John Travolta’s career was on the rocks and he did the film for practically no money, and it turned out to be a re-launch for him. Uma Thurman became a top celebrity overnight from her role. Even Bruce Willis got some good out of it, putting an end to a string of poorly-received performances.

16 Small bills : ONES

The nation’s first president, George Washington, is on the US one-dollar bills produced today. When the original one-dollar bill was issued in 1863, it featured a portrait of Salmon P. Chase, President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury.

22 Avoid : ESCHEW

“To eschew”, meaning “to avoid, shun”, comes from the Old French word “eschiver” that means the same thing.

23 __ de vivre : JOIE

“Joie de vivre” means “joy of living” in French. We use the phrase to mean the happy, carefree enjoyment of life, like when we finish our crossword puzzles …

28 Gossip columnist Barrett : RONA

Rona Barrett is a gossip columnist originally from New York City but who plies her trade in Southern California. Barrett started out with a gossip column that was syndicated in newspapers but then made a successful transition to television. She made regular appearances in news broadcasts and on her entertainment shows in the sixties and seventies.

29 Website featuring crafts : ETSY

Etsy.com is an e-commerce website where you can buy and sell the kind of items that you might find at a craft fair.

35 Sgt.’s superiors : LTS

The rank of lieutenant (lt.) is superior to the rank of sergeant (sgt.), and below the rank of captain (capt.).

38 Mary’s was little : LAMB

“Mary Had a Little Lamb” is a nursery rhyme that originated in the US, first published in Boston in 1830. The rhyme was written by Sarah Josepha Hale, and was based on a real-life Mary who had a pet lamb that followed her around. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” has the distinction of being the first words recorded by Thomas Edison on his phonograph invention in 1877.

39 Drooling comics dog : ODIE

Jon Arbuckle is a fictional character, and the owner of Odie from Jim Davis’s comic strip “Garfield”. Garfield is Arbuckle’s orange tabby cat. Odie is his less-than-smart beagle.

46 Microscopic organism : AMOEBA

An ameba (also “amoeba”) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.

47 Household, from the French : MENAGE

“Ménage” is the French word for “household”. The familiar term “ménage à trois” translates as “household of three” and is used to describe a domestic arrangement in which three people having sexual relations occupy the same household.

53 Some youth ctrs. : YMCAS

The YMCA (the Y) is a worldwide movement that has its roots in London, England. There, in 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded with the intent of promoting Christian principles through the development of “a healthy spirit, mind and body”. The founder, George Williams, saw the need to create YMCA facilities for young men who were flocking to the cities as the Industrial Revolution flourished. He saw that these men were frequenting taverns and brothels, and wanted to offer a more wholesome alternative.

54 Structures raised by Amish : BARNS

The Amish are members of a group of Christian churches, and a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish church originated in Switzerland and Alsace in 1693 when it was founded by Jakob Ammann. It was Ammann who gave the name to the Amish people. Many Amish people came to Pennsylvania in the 18th century.

56 Peter the Great, e.g. : TSAR

Peter the Great (aka “Peter I”) was perhaps the most successful of the Romanov tsars, and was famous for modernizing Russia and expanding the country’s sphere of influence, creating the Russian Empire. He ruled from 1682 until his death in 1725.

58 Enjoy Aspen : SKI

Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

59 Chess pieces : MEN

It is believed that the game of chess originated in northwest India. It evolved from a 6th-century game called “chaturanga”, a Sanskrit word meaning “four divisions”. These four (military) divisions were represented in the game:

  • Infantry (now “pawns”)
  • Cavalry (now “knights”)
  • Elephants (now “bishops”)
  • Chariots (now “rooks”)

60 Big initials in bowling : AMF

AMF Bowling Centers is an operator of bowling alleys, and is in fact the largest such company in the world.

61 Friend of Pooh : ROO

Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh”, the kangaroo named “Roo” was inspired by a stuffed toy belonging to Milne’s son Christopher Robin.

62 President pro __ : TEM

“Pro tempore” can be abbreviated to “pro tem” or “p.t.” “Pro tempore” is a Latin phrase that best translates as “for the time being”. It is used to describe a person who is acting for another, usually a superior. The President pro tempore of the US Senate is the person who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President of the US. It has been tradition since 1890 that the president pro tem is the most senior senator in the majority party. The president pro tem ranks highly in the line of succession to the presidency, falling third in line after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

63 Mexican Mrs. : SRA

The equivalent of “Mrs.” in French is “Mme.” (Madame), in Spanish is “Sra.” (Señora) and in Portuguese is also “Sra.” (Senhora).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Gaming site whose machines originally took pennies : ARCADE
7 Invite (to) : ASK
10 Serve, as coffee : POUR
14 Jumped : LEAPED
15 Wide-angle view : PANORAMA
17 Mom or dad : PARENT
18 Sequence of missed calls : PHONE TAG (giving “smartphone”)
19 Pitcher’s control, say : ASSET
20 Wood-splitting tool : AXE
21 Place for Oreos : COOKIE JAR (giving “smart cookie”)
25 Extra : SPARE
30 New England cape : ANN
31 Fountain offerings : SODAS
33 When tied NFL games may be decided : IN OT
34 Spanish folk hero : EL CID
36 Does some self-grooming, as a bird : PREENS
38 Let it slide : LOOK THE OTHER WAY (giving “smart look”)
42 Counsel : ADVISE
43 Things one can’t do without : NEEDS
44 Bearing : MIEN
45 Salt or fresh follower : -WATER
47 Mayo, por ejemplo : MES
50 North Atlantic hazards : BERGS
52 Wallet or purse alternative : MONEY BELT (giving “smart money”)
55 “What was __ do?” : I TO
57 Lord’s home : MANOR
58 Fashionable group … and what the starts of 18-, 21-, 38- and 52-Across form : SMART SET
63 Barely manage, with “by” : SCRAPE …
64 Lone Ranger, to Tonto : KEMOSABE
65 Kitchen appliances : RANGES
66 Inside scoop : INFO
67 Force (through), as legislation : RAM
68 Evaluate : ASSESS

Down

1 Andes grazer : ALPACA
2 Motive : REASON
3 Novelist McCullers : CARSON
4 Sneak __: look secretly : A PEEK
5 Teeth: Pref. : DENTI-
6 Georgia summer hrs. : EDT
7 Uber or Lyft : APP
8 African desert : SAHARA
9 Kentucky fort : KNOX
10 Eminent leader? : PRE-
11 Cereal grain : OAT
12 Thurman of “Pulp Fiction” : UMA
13 Torn old shirt, perhaps : RAG
16 Small bills : ONES
22 Avoid : ESCHEW
23 __ de vivre : JOIE
24 Expand, as a house : ADD ONTO
26 Places to fish from : PIERS
27 From the beginning : ANEW
28 Gossip columnist Barrett : RONA
29 Website featuring crafts : ETSY
32 Ball shape : SPHERE
34 Barely managing, with “by” : EKING …
35 Sgt.’s superiors : LTS
37 Color suggesting anger : RED
38 Mary’s was little : LAMB
39 Drooling comics dog : ODIE
40 Done : OVER
41 High schooler, usually : TEEN
46 Microscopic organism : AMOEBA
47 Household, from the French : MENAGE
48 Marries in secret : ELOPES
49 Emphasize : STRESS
51 Remains on the shelf : SITS
53 Some youth ctrs. : YMCAS
54 Structures raised by Amish : BARNS
56 Peter the Great, e.g. : TSAR
58 Enjoy Aspen : SKI
59 Chess pieces : MEN
60 Big initials in bowling : AMF
61 Friend of Pooh : ROO
62 President pro __ : TEM
63 Mexican Mrs. : SRA