LA Times Crossword 12 May 21, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Freddie Cheng
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Umbrella Academy

Themed answers are fictitious characters known for carrying UMBRELLAS:

  • 55A With “The,” Netflix title superhero team … and a hint to something associated with 19-, 26- and 42-Across : … UMBRELLA ACADEMY
  • 19A Julie Andrews Oscar-winning role : MARY POPPINS
  • 26A Character who sings “When You Wish Upon a Star” : JIMINY CRICKET
  • 42A Emma Peel’s partner on “The Avengers” : JOHN STEED

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

Bill’s time: 6m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Boyfriend : BEAU

A beau (plural “beaux”) is the boyfriend of a belle, a young lady. “Beau” and “belle” are the masculine and feminine forms of the French word for “handsome, beautiful”.

12 Chief Norse god : ODIN

In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. He is usually depicted as having one eye, reflecting the story of how he gave one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom.

13 Adler in Sherlock Holmes fiction : IRENE

The character Irene Adler only appears in one of the many Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the story “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Holmes expresses remarkable admiration for Adler as a woman and as a foe. As a result, derivative works in the Holmes genre often feature Adler as something of a romantic interest for Sherlock.

16 __ Khalifa: Dubai structure that’s the world’s tallest : BURJ

Burj Khalifa is a spectacular skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest man-made structure in the world, and has been so since the completion of its exterior in 2009. The space in the building came onto the market at a really bad time, during the global financial crisis. The building was part of a US$20 billion development of downtown Dubai that was backed by the city government which had to go looking for a bailout from the neighboring city of Abu Dhabi. The tower was given the name Burj Khalifa at the last minute, apparently as a nod to UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who helped to broker the bailout.

18 Bout enders, briefly : TKOS

Technical knockout (TKO)

19 Julie Andrews Oscar-winning role : MARY POPPINS

The “Mary Poppins” series of children’s novels were written by Australian-born English writer and actress P. L. Travers. Mary Poppins is a magical children’s nanny with a best friend Bert. In the famous 1964 musical film adaptation of the Mary Poppins stories, Poppins is played by Julie Andrews and Bert is played Dick Van Dyke.

Actress and singer Julie Andrews was made a dame in 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II. The most famous roles played by Andrews were probably the leads in “Mary Poppins” (1964) and “The Sound of Music” (1965). More recently she has had a recurring role in “The Princess Diaries” (2001) and the film’s 2004 sequel. A favorite Julie Andrews film of mine is a comedy drama set in WWII called “The Americanization of Emily”, which was released in 1964.

22 Crimson Tide nickname : BAMA

The athletic teams of the University of Alabama (“Bama”) are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, which is a reference to the team colors of crimson and white.

24 Caps for Highlanders : TAMS

A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap traditionally worn by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”) but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of the Robert Burns poem “Tam O’Shanter”.

26 Character who sings “When You Wish Upon a Star” : JIMINY CRICKET

In the 1883 children’s novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi, there is a character referred to as “the Talking Cricket”. When Walt Disney made his animated version of the story, 1940’s “Pinnochio”, the Talking Cricket was given the name “Jiminy Cricket”. The name already existed as a minced oath for “Jesus Christ”, and is even used in that context by the seven dwarfs in the earlier Disney cartoon feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.

“When You Wish Upon A Star” is a hit song by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington that was written for the 1940 Disney movie “Pinocchio”. In the animated film, the song is sung by Jiminy Cricket, with the voice provided by singer Cliff Edwards. In some parts of the world, “When You Wish Upon A Star” has become a Christmas classic due the assumption that the “star” in the title is the Star of Bethlehem.

32 “Best in Show” actor Willard : FRED

Fred Willard was an actor and comedian noted in recent years for his performances in the “Best in Show” and the “Anchorman” series of films. On television, Willard played Phil Dunphy’s father on the sitcom “Modern Family”.

33 Pack animals : MULES

A hinny is the offspring of a male horse (the “h-” from h-orse) and a female donkey/ass (the “-nny” from je-nny). A mule is more common, and is the offspring of a female horse and male donkey/ass.

42 Emma Peel’s partner on “The Avengers” : JOHN STEED

“The Avengers” was must-see television when I was growing up. “The Avengers” was a sixties comedy spy series set in England during the days of the Cold War. The hero was John Steed, played ably by Patrick MacNee. Steed had various female partners as the series progressed, the first of which was Cathy Gale, played by Honor Blackman (who also played Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger”). Following Ms. Gale was Emma Peel, played by the wonderful Diana Rigg. Finally there was Tara King, played by Linda Thorson.

47 Towing org. : AAA

The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

54 Justice Gorsuch’s predecessor : SCALIA

Antonin Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1986, and was the longest-serving member of the court on the occasion of his passing in 2016. Justice Scalia’s minority opinions were known for the scathing language that he used to criticize the Court’s majority.

Neil Gorsuch was nominated to the Supreme court by the Trump administration, and assumed office in 2017. Gorsuch took the seat on the court that was left vacant with the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. Gorsuch is the first Supreme Court justice to serve alongside another justice for whom he once clerked, doing so for Anthony Kennedy from 1993 to 1994.

55 With “The,” Netflix title superhero team … and a hint to something associated with 19-, 26- and 42-Across : … UMBRELLA ACADEMY

“The Umbrella Academy” is a superhero television show based on Gerard Way’s comic book series of the same name. The title refers to a group of seven children adopted by a billionaire and trained as a crime-fighting team of superheroes.

61 “The Grand Budapest Hotel” director Anderson : WES

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a 2014 Wes Anderson film. The main character in the movie is the concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, played by Ralph Fiennes. Haven’t seen this one …

64 Sign at a hot show : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

Down

1 Hope with jokes : BOB

I remember my first non-business visit to Los Angeles. I was a typical tourist and bought a map showing the homes of the stars and drove around Beverly Hills absorbing all the glitz. At one point I drove past a Rolls Royce that was stopped in oncoming traffic, waiting to make a left turn. The window was down, and the driver was puffing away on a big cigar. It was none other than Bob Hope. Seeing him there right beside me; that was a big thrill …

2 School URL letters : EDU

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

9 Fountain pen mishaps : INK SMEARS

The fountain pen is the successor to the dip pen. Both pens have a nib, but the fountain pen has its own internal reservoir of ink that flows to the nib as required.

10 eharmony profile part : BIO

eHarmony is a high-profile online dating service based in Pasadena, California.

14 Sixth sense: Abbr. : ESP

The so-called “sixth sense” is extrasensory perception (ESP).

20 Amtrak track : RAIL

Amtrak is the name used commercially by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. “Amtrak” comes from a melding of the words “America” and “track”.

22 One-named Icelandic singer : BJORK

Björk is a rather eccentric singer-songwriter from Iceland who is a big hit in the UK in particular. Björk is the daughter of a nationally-recognized union leader in her home country.

27 Female folklore deity : NYMPH

In Greek and Roman mythology, nymphs were divine female spirits associated with a particular location or landform in nature.

29 Bay Area airport code : SFO

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) served as the main base of operations for Virgin America (sold to Alaska Airlines), and is also the maintenance hub for United Airlines. Even though SFO is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport is located to the south in San Mateo County.

34 Arm bone : ULNA

The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinky-side”.

35 __ Cuddy, Dean of Medicine on “House” : LISA

Lisa Edelstein is the actress who plays the character Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the excellent TV series “House”. I remember seeing her character do a difficult yoga pose on one of the “House” episodes. It turns out that in real life Edelstein is an avid practitioner of Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga, an ancient practice.

36 “At Last” singer James : ETTA

Etta James was best known for her beautiful rendition of the song “At Last”. Sadly, as she disclosed in her autobiography, James lived a life that was ravaged by drug addiction leading to numerous legal and health problems. Ms. James passed away in January 2012 having suffered from leukemia.

39 Shakespeare’s 150+ : SONNETS

A sonnet is a short poem with varying rhyming schemes but always with 14 lines. The sonnet form has been around at least since the 13th century. The Shakespearean sonnet, for example, is composed of three quatrains (4 lines) and a final couplet (2 lines).

40 Ballpoint covers : PEN CAPS

The ballpoint pen was invented by László Bíró in the late thirties, a Hungarian newspaper editor. Over in Ireland we use the term “biro” as a generic word for “ballpoint pen”.

42 Boobird’s output : JEER

A boobird is a sports fan who does a lot of booing.

43 Kaput, as a battery : DEAD

“Kaput” is a familiar term meaning “incapacitated, destroyed”, and comes to us from French (via German). The original word “capot” means “not having won a single trick” in the French card game Piquet.

53 Gin fizz flavor : SLOE

By definition, a cocktail known as a “fizz” includes lemon or lime juice and carbonated water. The most popular of the genre is the gin fizz, made from 3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 5 parts soda water. There is also a variant known as a sloe gin fizz.

54 Garbage boat : SCOW

A scow is a flat-bottomed boat with squared-off ends that’s often used for transportation, usually pushed or pulled by a barge. Often, a scow can be seen carrying junk or garbage.

56 Caustic cleanser : LYE

What we call “lye” is usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH), although historically the term “lye” was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Boyfriend : BEAU
5 Still, briefly : THO’
8 Taunt : GIBE
12 Chief Norse god : ODIN
13 Adler in Sherlock Holmes fiction : IRENE
15 “I got this, boss” : ON IT
16 __ Khalifa: Dubai structure that’s the world’s tallest : BURJ
17 Apple throwaways : CORES
18 Bout enders, briefly : TKOS
19 Julie Andrews Oscar-winning role : MARY POPPINS
22 Crimson Tide nickname : BAMA
23 Hightail it, old-style : HIE
24 Caps for Highlanders : TAMS
26 Character who sings “When You Wish Upon a Star” : JIMINY CRICKET
29 By oneself : SOLELY
30 Garden clippers : SHEARS
32 “Best in Show” actor Willard : FRED
33 Pack animals : MULES
37 “Shucks!” : DRAT!
38 Approved, briefly : OK’D
39 Part ways : SPLIT UP
41 Operative : SPY
42 Emma Peel’s partner on “The Avengers” : JOHN STEED
44 Luminance : SHEEN
47 Towing org. : AAA
48 Twiggy abodes : NESTS
52 Clothing store department : WOMEN’S
54 Justice Gorsuch’s predecessor : SCALIA
55 With “The,” Netflix title superhero team … and a hint to something associated with 19-, 26- and 42-Across : … UMBRELLA ACADEMY
59 Born, in bios : NEE
60 Santa’s elves’ workplace : TOY SHOP
61 “The Grand Budapest Hotel” director Anderson : WES
62 Dog’s warning : GRR!
63 Up-and-down rides : SEESAWS
64 Sign at a hot show : SRO

Down

1 Hope with jokes : BOB
2 School URL letters : EDU
3 Sent by plane : AIRMAILED
4 Removed stuck paper from : UNJAMMED
5 Prize on the mantel : TROPHY
6 Like many a rescue : HEROIC
7 Sale limit, briefly : ONE PER
8 Prepared to skinny-dip : GOT NAKED
9 Fountain pen mishaps : INK SMEARS
10 eharmony profile part : BIO
11 Sci-fi beings : ETS
13 Bone-chilling : ICY
14 Sixth sense: Abbr. : ESP
20 Amtrak track : RAIL
21 Something to scratch : ITCH
22 One-named Icelandic singer : BJORK
25 Watch fastener : STRAP
27 Female folklore deity : NYMPH
28 Put into circulation, as stamps : ISSUE
29 Bay Area airport code : SFO
31 Messy dorm room, say : STY
34 Arm bone : ULNA
35 __ Cuddy, Dean of Medicine on “House” : LISA
36 “At Last” singer James : ETTA
39 Shakespeare’s 150+ : SONNETS
40 Ballpoint covers : PEN CAPS
42 Boobird’s output : JEER
43 Kaput, as a battery : DEAD
44 Took a cut, in baseball : SWUNG
45 Baseball dinger : HOMER
46 Glowing leftover : EMBER
49 Oodles : SLEWS
50 It may set off a beeper : TIMER
51 Right to decide : SAY-SO
53 Gin fizz flavor : SLOE
54 Garbage boat : SCOW
56 Caustic cleanser : LYE
57 Pack animal : ASS
58 “Bingo!” : AHA!