LA Times Crossword 12 May 23, Friday

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Constructed by: Taylor Johnson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Moves Over

Themed answers are common two-word phrases in which the second word starts with a letters S. But, that S has been MOVED OVER to the end of the second word creating a possessive:

  • 59A Makes room, and when parsed differently, an instruction for four answers in this puzzle : MOVES OVER and MOVE “S” OVER
  • 17A Leg muscle of a mathlete? : GEEK’S QUAD (from “Geek Squad”)
  • 31A Fruity pastry made by a movie boxer? : ROCKY’S TART (from “rocky start”)
  • 35A Pub pour for an enlisted soldier? : PRIVATE’S ALE (from “private sale”)
  • 42A Vacation for a stand-up performer? : COMIC’S TRIP (from “comic strip”)

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

Bill’s time: 7m 53s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4 MGM part : METRO

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio was founded in 1924 by Marcus Loew. Loew was already a successful movie theater owner when he purchased Metro Pictures Corporation in 1919, and then Goldwyn Pictures in 1924. Later in 1924, Loew also purchased Louis B. Mayer Pictures, mainly so that Louis B. Mayer could merge all three studios and run them himself as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

9 Labor leader Chavez : CESAR

César Chávez was a Mexican-American farm worker, and co-founder of the union today known as the United Farm Workers. Chávez was born in Yuma, Arizona, but moved to California as a child with his family. He never attended high school, dropping out to become a full-time migrant farm worker. In 1944, at 17 years of age, he joined the US Navy and served for two years. 5-6 years after returning from the military, back working as a farm laborer, Chávez became politically active and rose to national attention as an articulate union leader during some high profile strikes. He is remembered annually here in California on his birthday, March 31, which is a state holiday.

15 Sprinter Bolt : USAIN

Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who won the 100m and 200m race gold medals in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Back in Jamaica, Bolt was really into cricket, and probably would have been a very successful fast bowler had he not hit the track instead.

17 Leg muscle of a mathlete? : GEEK’S QUAD (from “Geek Squad”)

Originally, a geek was a sideshow performer, perhaps one at a circus. Sometimes the term “geek” is used today for someone regarded as foolish or clumsy, and also for someone who is technically driven and expert, but often socially inept.

Best Buy is a retailer specializing in the supply of consumer electronics. Best Buy services include the famous “Geek Squad”, a band of technical experts that will help solve your computer and other consumer electronic problems.

The quadriceps femoris is the muscle group at the front of the thigh. It is the strongest muscle in the human body, and is also the leanest. The “quads” are actually a group of four muscles in the upper leg, hence the use of the prefix “quad-”.

24 Game requiring plug-ins? : MAD LIBS

Mad Libs is a word game, one mostly played by children in America. The idea is that one player provides a list of words which are then inserted into blank spots in a story, usually with hilarious results (they say!).

30 International gas brand : ESSO

The Esso brand has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

31 Fruity pastry made by a movie boxer? : ROCKY’S TART (from “rocky start”)

If ever there was a movie that defined a career breakthrough for an actor, it would have to be “Rocky” for Sylvester Stallone. Stallone was a struggling actor in 1975 when a Muhammad Ali fight inspired Stallone to write a screenplay for a boxing movie, which he did in just three days. His efforts to sell the script went well but for the fact that the interested studios wanted a big name for the lead role, and Stallone was determined to be the star himself. Stallone persevered and “Rocky” was eventually made with him playing the title role of Rocky Balboa. The movie won three Oscars, and “Sly” Stallone had arrived …

33 Source of a low blow? : TUBA

The tuba is the lowest-pitched of all brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

34 “History of the World, Part II” actress/writer Wanda : SYKES

Wanda Sykes is a very successful American comedian and comic actress. Interestingly, Sykes spent her first five years out of school working for the NSA. I saw her perform in Reno some years ago, and she is very, very funny.

“History of the World, Part II” is a sketch comedy series created by Mel Brooks. It is positioned as a sequel to the 1981 film “History of the World, Part I”, also written by Brooks. The TV show features a variety of sketches that parody events from different periods of human history and legend. It stars a number of well-known actors, including Mel Brooks himself and co-writer Wanda Sykes.

35 Pub pour for an enlisted soldier? : PRIVATE’S ALE (from “private sale”)

The lowest military rank of soldier is often a private (pvt.). The term “private” comes from the Middle Ages when “private soldiers” were hired or conscripted by noblemen to form a “private army”. The more generic usage of “private” started in the 1700s.

41 Semisoft cheese : EDAM

Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

50 ESPN Deportes language : ESPANOL

ESPN Deportes Radio is a sports channel that broadcasts in Spanish (Español ). “Deports” is Spanish for “sports”.

52 Small bill : ONE

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.

55 __ 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.

56 Pegasus pair : WINGS

Pegasus is a white, winged stallion of Greek mythology. He was sired by Poseidon and foaled by Medusa.

62 First name in cosmetics : ESTEE

Estée Lauder was a very successful businesswoman, and someone with a great reputation as a salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

63 Netflix crime drama set in Missouri : OZARK

“Ozark” is an excellent TV crime show starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a married couple who relocate from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks. The couple fall foul of a Mexican drug lord after a money laundering scheme goes awry. The show is set at a lake resort in the Ozarks, although filming actually takes place at lakes in the Atlanta area in order to take advantage of tax breaks offered by the State of Georgia.

65 River in a van Gogh painting : RHONE

“Starry Night Over the Rhone” is one of Vincent Van Gogh’s series of paintings he created depicting scenes at night in the South of France. The painting is a view from the quay on the east side of the Rhone river as it flows through the city of Arles.

Down

1 Ruling period : REGIME

Quite often, the terms “regime” and “regimen” seem to be used interchangeably. In contemporary usage, “regime” is applied more generally, and “regimen” more specifically. A “regimen” is a systematic approach that one might apply to something, to exercise or diet for example. The term “regime” can also be used in such contexts, but can have additional definitions, such as “government in power”. A form of government cannot be described as a “regimen”.

5 Letters on some office suite doors : ESQ

The title “esquire” is of British origin and is used differently today depending on whether one is in the US or the UK. Here in America the term is usually reserved for those practicing the law (both male and female). In the UK, “esquire” is a term of gentle respect reserved for a male who has no other title that one can use. So a mere commoner like me might receive a letter from the bank, say, addressed to W. E. Butler Esq.

6 Sigma follower : TAU

Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the letter that gave rise to our Roman “T”. Both the letters tau (T) and chi (X) have long been symbolically associated with the cross.

7 Narrow inlets : RIAS

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

9 Indie rockers Death __ for Cutie : CAB

The indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie formed in 1997 in Bellingham, Washington. The band’s name is the title of a 1967 song released by the English group Bonzo dog Doo-Dah Band.

10 Cassowary cousin : EMU

The cassowary is a large, flightless bird found mainly in New Guinea. One species of cassowary is the third tallest bird on the planet, second only to the ostrich and the emu.

11 Classic bit of slapstick : SPIT-TAKE

The comic maneuver in which someone spits out a drink in response to a joke or a surprising statement, that’s called a “spit-take”.

18 K, in the NATO alphabet : KILO

The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

26 Buckwheat noodle : SOBA

Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. In Japan, the word “soba” tends to describe any thin noodle, in contrast with the thicker noodle called “udon”.

28 Indian state near Bhutan : ASSAM

Assam, located in northeastern India, is the largest tea-producing state in the country. It is also famous for its silk production, particularly the golden muga silk.

Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is located high up in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and India to the south, east and west. Bhutan has been a constitutional monarchy since 2008, and has been ranked by “Businessweek” as the “happiest” country in Asia.

29 Brief sign-off : TTYL

Talk to you later (TTYL)

33 Hint of color : TINCT

To tinct is to add a little color to something. The term “tinct” ultimately derives from the Latin verb “tingere” meaning “to dye”.

35 Olive stuffing : PIMIENTO

A pimiento (also “pimento”) is a cherry pepper in the chili family. It used to be stuffed into Spanish olives by a tool that took out the pit at the same time. Sadly, in these days of modern technology, the pimiento is usually pureed now, mixed with a gum and formed into neat strips, before being stuffed into the olive. Nothing is what it seems anymore …

37 Singer Brickell : EDIE

Edie Brickell is a singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas. Brickell has been married to fellow singer Paul Simon since 1991.

39 Household outlet output : AC POWER

There are two types of electric current. The 120V supply that is distributed throughout our homes provides us with alternating current (AC). The AC current moves back and forth every 1/60 second, in two different directions. AC is great for transmission around the country, and that’s the main reason that AC is piped into our homes. However, all of our electronic devices need direct current (DC), current that flows in one direction. That’s why those devices have adapters at the end of a power cable. The 120V AC supply is converted by the adapter into the DC supply used by the device.

45 Hunting garb : CAMO

Our word “camouflage” (often abbreviated to “camo”) evolved directly from a Parisian slang term “camoufler” meaning “to disguise”. The term was first used in WWI, although the British navy at that time preferred the expression “dazzle-painting” as it applied to the pattern painted on the hulls of ships.

60 Kilmer of film : VAL

Val Kilmer’s first big leading role in a movie was playing Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic “The Doors”. A few years later, Kilmer was chosen for the lead in another big production, “Batman Forever”. Things haven’t really gone as well for Kilmer since then, I’d say. Off the screen, he flirted with the idea of running for Governor of New Mexico in 2010. A Hollywood actor as a governor? Would never happen …

61 Cy Young stat : ERA

Earned run average (ERA)

Cy Young was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1890-1911. Young is remembered for pitching the first perfect game of baseball’s modern era. Soon after he died in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created and is presented to the best pitcher in each baseball season.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Informant : RAT
4 MGM part : METRO
9 Labor leader Chavez : CESAR
14 Goof : ERR
15 Sprinter Bolt : USAIN
16 Enough : AMPLE
17 Leg muscle of a mathlete? : GEEK’S QUAD (from “Geek Squad”)
19 Stacked : BUILT
20 “Don’t you agree?,” informally : INNIT?
21 Darn things : SEW
23 However, poetically : THO’
24 Game requiring plug-ins? : MAD LIBS
27 Idle talk : CHATTER
30 International gas brand : ESSO
31 Fruity pastry made by a movie boxer? : ROCKY’S TART (from “rocky start”)
33 Source of a low blow? : TUBA
34 “History of the World, Part II” actress/writer Wanda : SYKES
35 Pub pour for an enlisted soldier? : PRIVATE’S ALE (from “private sale”)
39 Like part of some fusion cuisine : ASIAN
41 Semisoft cheese : EDAM
42 Vacation for a stand-up performer? : COMIC’S TRIP (from “comic strip”)
45 Shirt part with a button : CUFF
49 Tip : POINTER
50 ESPN Deportes language : ESPANOL
52 Small bill : ONE
53 Crossed (out) : XED
55 __ board : EMERY
56 Pegasus pair : WINGS
59 Makes room, and when parsed differently, an instruction for four answers in this puzzle : MOVES OVER and MOVE “S” OVER
62 First name in cosmetics : ESTEE
63 Netflix crime drama set in Missouri : OZARK
64 Self-regard : EGO
65 River in a van Gogh painting : RHONE
66 Event of passing interest? : RELAY
67 Silent approval : NOD

Down

1 Ruling period : REGIME
2 Entertainment centers? : ARENAS
3 Directions : TRENDS
4 “You honestly need me to do that?” : MUST I?
5 Letters on some office suite doors : ESQ
6 Sigma follower : TAU
7 Narrow inlets : RIAS
8 Next : ON DECK
9 Indie rockers Death __ for Cutie : CAB
10 Cassowary cousin : EMU
11 Classic bit of slapstick : SPIT-TAKE
12 “Everyone’s accounted for” : ALL HERE
13 Fires back, in a way : RETORTS
18 K, in the NATO alphabet : KILO
22 Frequent question from a toddler : WHY?
25 British dude : BRUV
26 Buckwheat noodle : SOBA
28 Indian state near Bhutan : ASSAM
29 Brief sign-off : TTYL
32 Cover the spread? : CATER
33 Hint of color : TINCT
35 Olive stuffing : PIMIENTO
36 Cloudburst : RAIN
37 Singer Brickell : EDIE
38 Drains : SAPS
39 Household outlet output : AC POWER
40 “In a few” : SOONISH
43 __ ed : SEX
44 Shiver : TREMOR
45 Hunting garb : CAMO
46 Bumpy : UNEVEN
47 Precede : FOREGO
48 Casting option : FLY ROD
51 Annoying : PESKY
54 Nap : DOZE
57 Mil. title : GEN
58 Match, in poker : SEE
60 Kilmer of film : VAL
61 Cy Young stat : ERA