LA Times Crossword 25 Mar 20, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Patti Varol
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): March 1st

Themed answers are individuals associated with “MARCH”:

  • 17A March commander : DRILL INSTRUCTOR
  • 41A March composer : JOHN PHILIP SOUSA
  • 64A March creator : LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

Bill’s time: 6m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Furniture chain that also sells lingonberry jam : IKEA

Every IKEA store features a restaurant that serves traditional Swedish food, including Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam. Each store also has a Swedish Food Market where customers can purchase specialty foods from Sweden.

5 Highlander : GAEL

The Scottish Highlands are that part of the country not classified as the Lowlands(!). The Highlands make up the north and west of Scotland.

16 Overseas coppers : PENCE

The official name of our smallest denomination coin is “cent”, and our use of the word “penny” is just a colloquialism derived from the British coin of the same name. In the UK, the plural of penny is “pence”, whereas we have “pennies” in our pockets.

19 Count who has a cameo in “Blazing Saddles” : BASIE

“Count” Basie’s real given name was “William”. Count Basie perhaps picked up his love for the piano from his mother, who played and gave him his first lessons. Basie’s first paying job as a musician was in a movie theater, where he learned to improvise a suitable accompaniment for the silent movies that were being shown. Basie was given the nickname “Count” as he became lauded as one of the so-called “Jazz royalty”. Others so honored are Nat “King” Cole and Duke Ellington.

“Blazing Saddles” is a 1974 Mel Brooks movie that has become a modern-day classic. I really only enjoy one Mel Brooks film, and “Blazing Saddles” isn’t it. Just in case you’re interested, I very much enjoy “Young Frankenstein” …

22 Rathskeller rejection : NEIN

A city hall in Germany is called a “Rathaus”. In days gone by, there was often a restaurant located in the basement or cellar of a Rathaus, and this restaurant was given the name “Rathskeller”.

28 SFO overseer : FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was set up in 1958 (as the Federal Aviation Agency). The agency was established at that particular time largely in response to an increasing number of midair collisions. The worst of these disasters had taken place two years earlier over the Grand Canyon, a crash between two commercial passenger airplanes that resulted in 128 fatalities.

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.

41 March composer : JOHN PHILIP SOUSA

John Philip Sousa was a composer and conductor from Washington, D.C. Sousa was well known for his patriotic marches and earned himself the nickname “The American March King”. He served as a member of the US Marine Band from 1868 to 1875, and after leaving the Marines learned to conduct and compose. One of the Sousa compositions that is well-known around the world is called “The Liberty Bell”, a tune used as the musical theme for BBC Television’s “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. Sousa also wrote “Semper Fidelis”, which is the official march of the US Marine Corps.

45 French 101 verb : ETRE

The verb “to be” is “ser” in Spanish and “être” in French.

46 Old Russian ruler : TSAR

The former Soviet Union (officially “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, i.e. USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and comprised fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

51 Greener Living org. : EPA

Greener Living is an initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

52 English blue cheese : STILTON

Stilton is a lovely village in Cambridgeshire in England, and is the original home of the delicious blue cheese called Stilton.

55 Whiskey cocktail : SOUR

A whiskey sour is made from whiskey, lemon juice and sugar, and is usually garnished with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

57 Form 1099 org. : IRS

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.

58 “Wonder Woman” actress Gadot : GAL

Gal Gadot is an actress and former Miss Israel. She plays Gisele Yashar in the “Fast & Furious” film franchise, and then began portraying Wonder Woman in superhero movies.

64 March creator : LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

“Little Women” is a novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The quartet of “little women” comprises Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Jo is a tomboy, the main character in the story, and is based on Alcott herself.

70 “Shape of You” Grammy winner : ED SHEERAN

English singer Ed Sheeran has appeared as an actor quite a few times. After several cameos in various films, Sheeran had a substantial role playing himself in the excellent 2019 film “Yesterday”.

72 “Gone Girl” actress Ward : SELA

Actress Sela Ward turns up in crosswords a lot. Ward played Teddy Reed in the TV show “Sisters” in the nineties, and was in “Once and Again” from 1999-2002. I don’t know either show, but I do know Ward from the medical drama “House” in which she played the hospital’s lawyer and Greg House’s ex-partner. That was a fun role, I thought. More recently, Ward played a lead role on “CSI: NY” and was a very welcome and much-needed addition to the cast. And, Ward played Dr. Richard Kimble’s murdered wife in the 1993 film version of “The Fugitive”.

“Gone Girl” is a thriller novel written by Gillian Flynn that was first published in 2012. The story tells of a man whose wife has disappeared, with the reader not being certain if the husband is involved in the disappearance. The book was adapted into a movie of the same name released in 2014, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

73 “Queen of Country,” familiarly : REBA

Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom called “Reba” that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007. She is sometimes referred to as “The Queen of Country”.

Down

1 Website for looking up “that actor on that show” : IMDB

The website called the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) was launched in 1990, and is now owned by Amazon.com. It’s a great site for answering questions one has about movies and actors.

2 __ Zor-El: Supergirl’s name on Krypton : KARA

Kara Zor-El is Superman’s cousin, and is also known as Supergirl. Supergirl’s father and Superman’s father were brothers. On Earth, Supergirl uses the name “Linda Lee”.

Superman was sent to Earth in a rocket as a child by his parents, who remained on the doomed planet of Krypton. On Earth, the child was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent, farmers who lived near the fictional town of Smallville. The Kents raised the infant as their own, giving him the name Clark, which was Ma Kent’s maiden name.

3 Yale students : ELIS

Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

5 Moo goo __ pan : GAI

Moo goo gai pan is the American version of a traditional Cantonese dish. In Cantonese, “moo goo” means “button mushroom”, “gai” is “chicken” and “pan” is “slices”.

6 “Commonwealth” novelist Patchett : ANN

Ann Patchett is an author who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Patchett’s most famous work is probably her novel “Bel Canto”, published in 2001. In 2012, “Time” included her in the magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

7 “Unique everything” online shop : 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.

9 PC core : CPU

The central processing unit (CPU) is the main component on the motherboard of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.

13 Some Slavs : SERBS

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 GPS displays : RTES

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

28 “Natural artesian water” brand : FIJI

Fiji Water, as you might guess, is a brand of water from the Fiji Islands. I just think that bottling water and sending it around the world is absolutely insane …

An artesian well is one that is drilled into an artesian aquifer. As the groundwater in the aquifer is under positive pressure, the water in the well rises without having to be pumped.

30 Fashionable sportswear portmanteau : ATHLEISURE

The wearing of clothing designed for athletic activity in casual, non-athletic environments is termed “athleisure”, which is a portmanteau of “athletic” and “leisure”.

32 Ballroom dance : WALTZ

What we tend to think of as a waltz today is danced at about 90 beats per minute. The original waltz was much faster, and danced at about 180 beats per minute. To differentiate, we now call the faster dance a “Viennese Waltz”, and sometimes refer to the other as the “English Waltz” or “slow waltz”.

35 Tatum who plays Amanda in “The Bad News Bears” : O’NEAL

Tatum O’Neal is the youngest actress to win a competitive Oscar. She won the Best Supporting Actress Award in 1974 when she was just 10 years old, for her role as Addie in “Paper Moon”. The youngest person to win an honorary Academy Award was Shirley Temple, who was only 5 years old when she was presented with an Oscar in 1934.

“The Bad News Bears” is a 1976 comedy film starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O’Neal. The movie is all about a Little League baseball team made up of misfits who are coached by an alcoholic former minor-league baseball player named Morris Buttermaker. The film was a big hit that spawned two sequels: “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training” (1977) and “The Bad News Bears Go to Japan” (1978). There was also a television series and a 2005 remake that stars Billy Bob Thornton.

37 Tangle around a surge protector : WIRES

A surge protector is an appliance that protects electrical devices from damaging voltage spikes. Surge protectors often take the form of power strips.

39 Pronto : ASAP

The Spanish and Italian (and now English) word “pronto” is derived from the Latin “promptus” meaning “ready, quick”.

40 “Teen Titans” and “Teen Titans Go!” voice actress Strong : TARA

Actress Tara Strong is perhaps best known for her voice work. The list of her voice roles includes Dil Pickles on the TV series “Rugrats”.

43 100 centavos : PESO

The peso is used in many Spanish-speaking countries around the world. The coin originated in Spain where the word “peso” means “weight”. The original peso was what we know in English as a “piece of eight”, a silver coin of a specific weight that had a nominal value of eight “reales”.

“Centavo” is a Spanish and Portuguese word, and is used for the coin that represents 1/100 of the basic monetary unit of quite a few countries, including Cuba. “Centavo” comes from the Latin “centum” meaning “one hundred” and “-avo” meaning “portion, fraction”.

48 Tranquil discipline : YOGA

I’ve heard it explained that yoga brings the body and mind under control in order to harmonize with the spirit. Tantric yoga on the other hand, tries to use the mind to balance the needs of the body and the spirit.

50 Veil material : TULLE

Tulle is a lightweight net fabric that is often used in veils, wedding gowns and ballet tutus.

52 Opera great Beverly : SILLS

Beverly Sills was an operatic soprano from Brooklyn, New York. Sills retired from singing in 1980 to become the general manager of the New York City Opera. She later became Chairman of the Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan opera.

56 Regatta entrant : RACER

The word “regatta” is Venetian dialect and was originally used to describe boat races among the gondoliers of Venice on the Grand Canal back in the mid-1600s.

59 Put on cargo : LADE

The verb “to lade” meaning “to load” comes from an Old English word “hladan”. “Lade” also used to mean “draw water” and indeed gave us our word “ladle”. So “lade” and “ladle” are close cousins.

Cargo is freight carried by some vehicle. The term “cargo” comes into English via Spanish, ultimately deriving from the Latin “carricare” meaning “to load on a cart”.

63 Italian peak : ETNA

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.

65 ’50s prez : IKE

There’s a lot of talk these days about how much golf is played by US presidents. One of the most enthusiastic golfers to sit in the Oval Office was President Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE). “Ike” loved the game so much that he even played through the winter. He had his golf balls painted black so that he could see them against the snow on the ground.

66 Pre-1991 atlas initials : SSR

When the former Soviet Union (USSR) dissolved in 1991, it was largely replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The formation of the CIS underscored the new reality, that the former Soviet Republics (SSRs) were now independent states. Most of the 15 former SSRs joined the CIS. Notably, the three Baltic SSRs (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) opted not to join the new commonwealth, and in 2004 joined NATO and the EU.

67 Couture monogram : YSL

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Furniture chain that also sells lingonberry jam : IKEA
5 Highlander : GAEL
9 Irritable : CROSS
14 December temp : MALL SANTA
16 Overseas coppers : PENCE
17 March commander : DRILL INSTRUCTOR
19 Count who has a cameo in “Blazing Saddles” : BASIE
20 Thus far : YET
21 Airport with many connecting flights : HUB
22 Rathskeller rejection : NEIN
25 Tenants : RENTERS
28 SFO overseer : FAA
31 Not just assume : KNOW
33 Merit badge spot : SASH
34 Gaga over : INTO
36 Shellfish serving : CLAW
38 Smug look : GLOAT
41 March composer : JOHN PHILIP SOUSA
44 Fritters away time : IDLES
45 French 101 verb : ETRE
46 Old Russian ruler : TSAR
47 Not demanding : EASY
49 Citrus peel : ZEST
51 Greener Living org. : EPA
52 English blue cheese : STILTON
55 Whiskey cocktail : SOUR
57 Form 1099 org. : IRS
58 “Wonder Woman” actress Gadot : GAL
60 Run out : LAPSE
64 March creator : LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
69 Hides in the shadows : LURKS
70 “Shape of You” Grammy winner : ED SHEERAN
71 Direct : STEER
72 “Gone Girl” actress Ward : SELA
73 “Queen of Country,” familiarly : REBA

Down

1 Website for looking up “that actor on that show” : IMDB
2 __ Zor-El: Supergirl’s name on Krypton : KARA
3 Yale students : ELIS
4 Totally wiped : ALL-IN
5 Moo goo __ pan : GAI
6 “Commonwealth” novelist Patchett : ANN
7 “Unique everything” online shop : ETSY
8 “Gotta run!” : LATER!
9 PC core : CPU
10 Copying button : REC
11 Music to a bar customer’s ears : ON THE HOUSE
12 Really clean : SCOUR
13 Some Slavs : SERBS
15 Stylishly smooth : SLEEK
18 GPS displays : RTES
23 Go very slowly : INCH
24 “I’m not kidding!” : NO LIE!
26 Torments with reminders : NAGS
27 Letter-shaped opening : T-SLOT
28 “Natural artesian water” brand : FIJI
29 Give __ to: okay : A NOD
30 Fashionable sportswear portmanteau : ATHLEISURE
32 Ballroom dance : WALTZ
35 Tatum who plays Amanda in “The Bad News Bears” : O’NEAL
37 Tangle around a surge protector : WIRES
39 Pronto : ASAP
40 “Teen Titans” and “Teen Titans Go!” voice actress Strong : TARA
42 Hissed summons : PSST!
43 100 centavos : PESO
48 Tranquil discipline : YOGA
50 Veil material : TULLE
52 Opera great Beverly : SILLS
53 Brook fish : TROUT
54 Identifies : NAMES
56 Regatta entrant : RACER
59 Put on cargo : LADE
61 Peruse, with “over” : PORE …
62 Wild guess : STAB
63 Italian peak : ETNA
65 ’50s prez : IKE
66 Pre-1991 atlas initials : SSR
67 Couture monogram : YSL
68 “I’ve got it!” : AHA!